\  >•       => 
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-s^l-LIBI 


THEODORE  THOMAS 

A  MUSICAL  AUTOBIOGRAPHY 


VOL.  I. 
LIFE  WORK 


THEODORE  THOMAS 

A  MUSICAL  AUTOBIOGRAPHY 


In  u,um 
I. — LIFE  WORK 
II. — CONCERT  PROGRAMMES 


THEODORE  £HOMAS 

A  MUSICAL  AUTOBIOGRAPHY 


EDITED  BY 
GEORGE  P.  UPTON 

In  3toa  Uulumra,  mitij  $artraita  and 


THEODORE  THOMAS 

a  pbotofaffytb  \aken  in  1896 
LIFE   WORK 

WITH  AN  APPRECIATION  AND  PERSONAL  RECOLLECTION.  AND  A  DETAILED 

ACCOUNT  OF  HIS  MORE  IMPORTANT  WORK,  BY  MR.  UPTON, 

AND  AN  APPENDIX 


CHICAGO 

A.  C.  McCLURG  &  CO. 

1905 


THEODORE  £HOMAS 

A  MUSICAL  AUTOBIOGRAPHY 


EDITED  BY 
GEORGE   P.  UPTON 


in  2faio  Halumf  0,  tmtij  $Joriratifl  anil 


VOL.  I. 
LIFE   WORK 

WITH  AN  APPRECIATION  AND  PERSONAL  RECOLLECTION,  AND  A  DETAILED 

ACCOUNT  OF  HIS  MORE  IMPORTANT  WORK,  BY  MR.  UPTON, 

AND  AN  APPENDIX 


CHICAGO 

A.  C.  McCLURG  &  CO. 

1905 


COPYRIGHT 

A.  C.  MCCLURG  &  Co. 
1905 


PUBLISHED  APRIL  5,  1905 

Entered  at  Stationers'  Hall,  London, 
All  Rights  Reserved 


SEJje  Haftcsst'lie  $«ga 

R.    ».   DONNELLEY   &   SONS  COMPANY 
CHICAGO 


MUSIC 
LIBRARY 


"^  SYMPHONY  orchestra  shows  the  culture  of  a 
community,  not  opera.  The  man  who  does  not  know 
Skakespeare  is  to  be  pitied;  and  the  man  who  does 

^  not  understand  Beethoven  and  has  not  been  under  his 
spell  has  not  half  lived  his  life.  The  master  works 
of  instrumental  music  are  the  language  of  the  soul 
and  express  more  than  those  of  any  other  art.  Light 
music,  'popular*  so  called,  is  the  sensual  side  of  the  art 

^.  and  has  more  or  less  devil  in  it." 

— THEODORE  THOMAS 


a 

:n 
o 


OOi~'oO 

OO  f  i> 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

EDITOR'S  NOTE 13 

PREFACE,  THEODORE  THOMAS 15 

AUTOBIOGRAPHY 

CHAPTER  I 

Birth  and  parentage. — Early  Life. — Comes  to  America  in  1845. 
— New  York. — Joins  a  Brass  Band  in  the  Navy. — Travel- 
ling as  a  Solo  Artist  in  the  South. — Plays  in  Theatre  Or- 
chestras in  New  York. — A  Member  of  Jullien's  Orchestra. 
— Jullien's  Programmes 19 

CHAPTER  II 

Jenny  Lind. — Henriette  Sontag. — Adelina  Patti. — Karl  Eckert. 
—Joseph  Noll. — Is  Appointed  Leader  of  Second  Violins  in 
Eckert's  Orchestra. — Concertmeister  under  Arditi. — Anna 
de  Lagrange. — Cdsare  Badiali. — Luigi  Arditi  .  .  28 

CHAPTER  III 

The  New  York  Philharmonic  Society. — Henry  C.  Timm  and 
William  Scharfenberg. — Elected  a  Member  in  1854. — 
Theodore  Eisfeld. — Carl  Bergmann  ...  34 

CHAPTER  IV 

Chamber  Concerts. — The  Mason-Thomas  Quartette. — William 
Mason. — Joseph  Mosenthal. — George  Matzka. — Berg- 
mann in  Chamber  Music. — Frederick  Bergner. — The 
Quartette  Disbands 38 

CHAPTER  V 

Musical  Studies. — Ullmann's  Opera  Troupe  in  1857. — Grand 
Concerts. — Sigismund  Thalberg  and  Henri  Vieuxtemps. — 
Carl  Anschiitz. — End  of  Thomas's  "Apprenticeship"  45 


CHAPTER  VI 

The  New  York  Philharmonic  Society. — First  Series  of  Thomas 
Symphony  Soirees,  1864. — Belvedere  Lion  Park  Concerts, 
1865. — Terrace  Garden  Summer  Night  Concerts,  1866. — 
Building  of  Central  Park  Garden  Hall. — Elected  Conductor 
of  Brooklyn  Philharmonic  Concerts. — Inception  of  the 
Thomas  Orchestra. — Plans  for  a  Permanent  Symphony 
Orchestra. — Summer  Concerts  and  Winter  Travelling. — 
In  Boston,  etc. — Proposals  from  P.  T.  Barnum  ,  50 

CHAPTER  VII 

The  Chicago  Fire. — Financial  Losses. — First  Programme  of 
Finale  from  "Tristan  and  Isolde." — Symphony  Concerts 
in  New  York. — First  Wagner  Programme  in  America, 
September  17,  1872. — The  Wagner  Verein. — Tour  to  New 
Orleans. — Travelling  with  Rubinstein  and  Wieniawski. — 
The  New  York  Festival. — First  Cincinnati  Festival. — Ap- 
pointed Musical  Director  of  the  Philadelphia  Centennial 
Exposition. — Mrs.  Gillespie  and  her  Work. — Failure  of 
Philadelphia  Summer  Concerts. — First  Season  of  Chicago 
Summer  Night  Concerts,  1877. — Summer  Night  Concerts 
in  St.  Louis,  Cincinnati,  and  Cleveland  59 

CHAPTER  VIII 

The  New  York  Philharmonic  Society. — Malicious  Statements 
Corrected. — Elected  Conductor  of  the  New  York  Philhar- 
monic.— Abandons  Symphony  Concerts  in  New  York  for 
the  Benefit  of  the  Philharmonic  Society. — More  Travelling. 
— Third  Cincinnati  Festival. — Summer  Night  Concerts  at 
Gilmore's  Garden,  Madison  Square. — Offers  from  Europe 
Refused. — Leaves  New  York  to  Live  in  Cincinnati  .  73 

CHAPTER  IX 

Cincinnati  in  1869. — Founding  of  the  Cincinnati  Festival  Asso- 
ciation.— Director  of  the  Cincinnati  Festivals. — Musical 
Director  of  the  College  of  Music. — Disagreement  with  its 
President. — Resignation  from  the  College. — The  Cincinnati 
Festivals  and  their  Board  of  Directors. — The  Chorus. — 
Arthur  Mees's  and  Edwin  W.  Glover's  Services. — The 
Festival  Orchestra. — Return  to  New  York  in  1880  .  78 


CONTENTS  7 

CHAPTER  X 

In  New  York  Again. — The  Monster  Festival  of  1882. — Wagner 
Performances,  with  Madame  Materna. — First  Chicago  Fes- 
tival, 1883. — Establishes  Low  Pitch. — Young  People's  Con- 
certs.— Working  People's  Sunday  Afternoon  Concerts. — 
Wagner  Concerts  in  Various  Cities. — Winkelmann  and 
Scaria. — Festival  Tour  from  Ocean  to  Ocean,  Boston  to 
San  Francisco. — German  Opera  Proposals. — American 
Opera 87 

CHAPTER  XI 

The  End  of  the  Thomas  Orchestra,  1888.— Why  I  Left  New 
York. — Founding  of  the  Boston  Symphony  Orchestra  in 
1880. — Founding  of  the  Chicago  Orchestra  in  1901. — 
Accepts  Directorship  of  the  Chicago  Orchestra. — The 
Difficulty  of  Maintaining  a  First-rank  Orchestra  in  Chi- 
cago.— Henry  L.  Higginson  and  his  Influence. — Chicago 
Raises  an  Endowment  Fund  for  the  Orchestra  by  Popular 
Subscription. — The  Building  of  a  Home  for  the  Orchestra 
in  1904. — The  Work  of  the  Chicago  Board  of  Directors. — 
Coda 96 

THE  LAST  DAYS  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS      .        .        .109 

REMINISCENCE  AND   APPRECIATION 

I.  MY  FIRST  MEETING  WITH  MR.  THOMAS     .        .     117 

II.    APPRENTICESHIP .120 

III.  LIFE  WORK  BEGINS        .         .         .        .         -125 

IV.  GARDEN  Music      ......     130 

V.    SYMPHONIC  SOIREES 138 

VI.  THE  BROOKLYN  PHILHARMONIC  SOCIETY  .         .     144 

VII.  THE  NEW  YORK  PHILHARMONIC  SOCIETY        .     148 

VIII.  A  NATIONAL  TESTIMONIAL       .         .         .         .157 

IX.  FAREWELL  TO  THE  EAST        .         .         .         .162 

X.    IN  CHICAGO 165 

XL    DISAPPOINTMENTS 176 

XII.    THE  MUSICIAN 201 

XIII.    THE  MAN 242 

CHRONOLOGY 260 

APPENDIX 


LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS 

PORTRAIT  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS  IN  1896     .        Frontispiece 

PORTRAIT  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS  AT  FIFTEEN     .        .  19 

FACSIMILE  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS'S  FIRST  PROGRAMME  24 
PORTRAIT  OF  HENRIETTE  SONTAG        .        .        .        -32 

PORTRAIT  OF  KARL  ECKERT 40 

PORTRAIT  OF  JENNY  LIND 46 

FACSIMILE  OF  FESTIVAL  PROGRAMME,  CLOSE  OF  NEW 

YORK  SEASON,  1866 54 

PORTRAIT  OF  LUIGI  ARDITI 64 

WILLIAM  MASON  AND  THEODORE  THOMAS  IN  1855      .  74 

PORTRAIT  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS  IN  1857     ...  82 

PORTRAIT  OF  ANTON  RUBINSTEIN      ....  92 

PORTRAIT  OF  HENRI  WIENIAWSKI      ....  102 
THEODORE  THOMAS,  JULIUS  FUCHS,  AND  ADOLPH  W. 

DOHN,  IN  1875 118 

PORTRAIT  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS  IN  1875  .  .  .  134 
PORTRAIT  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS  IN  1880  .  .  .150 
THE  CHICAGO  ORCHESTRA  IN  THE  AUDITORIUM,  CHICAGO  172 
PORTRAIT  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS  IN  1888  .  .  .192 
THE  CHICAGO  ORCHESTRA  IN  ORCHESTRA  HALL,  CHI- 
CAGO    216 

FACSIMILE  OF  LETTER  WRITTEN  BY  THEODORE  THOMAS 

IN  1892       .......  230 

PORTRAIT  OF  THEODORE  THOMAS  IN  1898    .        .        .  246 

FELSENGARTEN         . 256 


THE   MASTER  OF   MUSIC 


1Tn  flBemorfam 
Ubeofcore  Ubomas 

1905 


BY  HENRY  VAN   DYKE 

Power  of  architect,  power  of  painter,  and  sculptor,  and  bard, 

Living  forever  in  temple,  and  picture,  and  statue,  and  song, 

Look  how  the  world  with  the  lights  that  ye  lit  is  engirdled  and 

starred ! 

Brief  was  the  flame  of  your  life,  but  the  lamps  of  your  art 
burn  long. 

Where  is  the  master  of  music,  and  how  has  he  vanished  away  ? 
Where  are  the  works  that  he  wrought  in  the  air  as  a  palace 

of  dream? 
Gone — all  gone — like  the  light  on  the  cloud  at  the  close  of  the 

day! 

Darkness  enfolds  him  and  silence  descends  on  the  field  and 
the  stream. 

Once,  at  the  wave  of  his  wand,  all  the  billows  of  musical  sound 

Followed  his  will,  as  the  sea  was  ruled  by  the  prophet  of  old: 

Now  that  his  hand  is  relaxed,  and  the  rod  has  dropped  to  the 

ground, 

Lo,  how  mute  are  the  shores  where  the  mystical  harmonies 
rolled! 

Nay,  but  not  still  are  the  hearts  that  were  filled  with  that 
marvelous  sea; 

Purer  and  deeper  forever  the  tides  of  their  being  shall  roll, 
Sounding  with  echoes  of  joy,  and  of  thanks,  O  Master,  to  thee, — 

Music  immortal  endures  in  the  depths  of  the  human  soul. 


EDITOR'S  NOTE 

The  sudden  death  of  Mr.  Thomas,  which  occurred 
January  4,  1905,  would  have  necessitated,  from  a  strict 
biographical  point  of  view,  some  changes  in  the  manu- 
script which  he  furnished,  and  which  he  took  such  pleas- 
ure in  writing  last  summer  at  Felsengarten,  his  New 
Hampshire  summer  home.  I  have  preferred,  however, 
to  leave  his  preface  and  autobiography  as  he  wrote  them, 
feeling  certain  that  if  any  incongruities  appear,  this 
explanation  will  account  for  them.  Not  having  all  his 
references  with  him,  Mr.  Thomas  naturally  touched 
briefly  upon  many  events  in  his  exceptionally  long  career, 
and  in  such  instances  I  have  sought  to  fill  out  his  narra- 
tive with  notes  based  upon  authentic  documents. 

G.  P.  U. 


PREFACE 

T  WISH  to  begin  with  a  statement,  to  which  my 
•*•  friends  will  bear  witness,  that  I  never  intended  to 
write  my  autobiography,  or  anything  else;  I  desired 
only  to  preserve  my  programmes  —  representing  over 
half  a  century  of  a  very  important  part  of  the  history 
of  music  in  America  —  in  some  permanent  form, 
and  this  is  the  result. 

I  am  happy  to  say  that  at  my  request,  Mr.  George 
P.  Upton,  whose  interest  in  the  cause  of  good  music 
has  been  of  such  marked  benefit  to  Chicago  for  fifty 
years,  has  undertaken  the  laborious  task  of  compiling 
and  editing  this  publication,  of  selecting  and  classify- 
ing the  programmes  to  be  printed,  and  of  writing  such 
explanations  as  they  have  required.  But  he  has  also 
shown  me  the  necessity  of  adding  some  historical 
matter  which  no  one  but  myself  can  supply,  and 
without  which  these  volumes  would  be  incomplete. 

What  I  have  written  will,  I  hope,  prove  interesting 
enough  to  the  reader  to  recompense  him  for  the  time 
he  will  give  to  its  perusal.  I  have  written  it  reluc- 
tantly, and  without  being  able  to  form  the  slightest 
opinion  as  to  how  much  it  will  interest  any  one  beyond 
my  personal  friends.  In  justice  to  myself,  I  must  say 
that  if  some  of  my  statements  seem  severe,  they  have 
been  written  with  regret;  but  I  have  been  compelled 
by  truth,  without  which  the  whole  would  have  been 


i6  PREFACE 

worthless,  as  well  as  by  the  urgent  requests  of  earnest 
and  truth-loving  men,  to  clear  up,  for  the  sake  of 
history,  some  matters  which  have  been  perverted,  or 
transmitted  to  the  present  generation  through  unre- 
liable sources. 


Felsengarten,  September  7,  1904. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY 


THEODORE   THOMAS   AT   FIFTEEN 
(FROM  A  DAGUERREOTYPE) 


THEODORE  THOMAS 

A  MUSICAL  AUTOBIOGRAPHY 


VOL.  I.— LIFE   WORK 


CHAPTER   I 

Birth  and  Parentage.  —  Early  Life. — Comes  to  America  in 
1845. — New  York. — Joins  a  Brass  Band  in  the  Navy. — 
Travelling  as  a  Solo  Artist  in  the  South. — Plays  in  Theatre 
Orchestras  in  New  York. — A  Member  of  Jullien's  Orches- 
tra.— Jullien's  Programmes. 

A  CCORDING  to  the  records  of  the  church  in 
•**•  Esens,  East  Friesland,  by  the  North  Sea,  I  was 
born  on  the  nth  of  October,  1835.  At  this  place  my 
father  was  Stadtpfeijer.1  I  have  no  family  records 
beyond  what  I  learned  from  him  in  early  boyhood. 
He  was  born  in  Erfurt,  Thuringen,  where  his  father 
kept  a  bookstore.  My  grandfather  later  emigrated 
to  South  America,  whence  he  never  returned.  My 
mother  was  born  in  the  old  university  town  of 

1  Stadtpjeifer,  or  town  musician.  These  musicians,  paid 
by  the  town  in  which  they  lived,  were  privileged  to  play  on  all 
important  public  or  private  occasions.  They  were  a  close 
organization,  admission  to  which  could  be  gained  only  by 
regular  apprenticeship.  They  were  not  without  honor,  for 
nearly  all  the  Bachs  belonged  to  them,  and  during  the  Thirty 
Years'  War  they  were  the  conservators  of  music  to  some  extent 
in  Germany. — EDR. 

19 


20  THEODORE  THOMAS 

Gottingen,  and  her  father  was  a  physician.  This  is 
the  end  of  my  knowledge  of  my  family  history.  Both 
my  parents  were  refined  and  honest  people. 

I  have  been  told  that  I  played  the  violin  in  public 
at  the  age  of  five.  I  have  not,  however,  the  slightest 
remembrance  of  when  I  began  to  play.  My  earliest 
recollection  is  that  my  father  played  the  violin,  so  I 
played,  and  that  I  soon  played  the  music  he  did. 
The  members  of  his  band,  or  orchestra,  amused 
themselves  by  bringing  music  to  me  and  trying  to 
find  something  that  I  could  not  read  off  at  sight.  I 
do  not  remember  the  character  of  the  music,  except 
one  piece  —  an  "Air  Varie"  by  De  Beriot. 

The  most  important  event  in  my  young  life 
occurred  when  my  father  emigrated  with  his  large 
family  to  America.  We  had  the  good  fortune  to 
find  quarters  on  an  American  merchant  vessel.  The 
captain  had  his  family  on  board,  and  I  remember 
having  a  general  good  time,  playing  the  fiddle,  and 
blowing  the  fog  horn  by  turns !  We  were  six  weeks  on 
the  ocean  —  this  was  before  the  days  of  ocean  steam- 
boats —  and  landed  in  New  York  on  a  hot  July  day  in 
1845.  The  metropolitan  city  was  then  a  provincial 
town  of  two-story  houses,  and  the  pigs  ran  through 
Broadway  and  ate  the  refuse.  For  the  benefit  of  any 
European  who  may  read  this,  I  will  say  that  there 
were  plenty  of  negroes  to  be  seen,  but  no  Indians. 

In  those  days,  the  only  resource  open  to  an  in- 
strumentalist was  to  join  a  brass  band,  and  play  for 
parades  or  dancing.  I  do  not  remember  having 
heard  of  any  teaching,  except  of  the  piano  and  the 


LIFE  WORK  21 

cornet.  The  orchestra,  as  we  have  it  to-day,  was 
almost  an  unknown  quantity,  although  the  Philhar- 
monic Orchestra1  had  made  a  feeble  beginning,  and 
there  were  small  so-called  orchestras,  consisting  of  a 
dozen  musicians,  more  or  less,  in  the  theatres.  Bet- 
ter music  was  played  in  the  theatres  then,  however, 
than  at  the  present  time.  It  was  in  a  theatre  orches- 
tra that  I  first  made  the  acquaintance  of  Beethoven's 
'  'Coriolanus  Overture,"  which  was  played  before  the 
curtain  rose  for  Shakespeare's  tragedy,  with  what 
musical  results  I  cannot  tell,  but  there  was  at  least  an 
endeavor  to  have  the  music  in  keeping  with  the  drama. 
The  theatres  were  few  in  number,  and  the  orchestra 
leaders  were  English;  as  a  matter  of  course,  the  orches- 
tras were  composed  principally  of  English  musicians. 
It  must  have  been  difficult  for  my  father  to  support 
his  large  family,  for  I  had  to  help  him  when  I  could, 
and  that  meant  much  night  work,  for  the  theatres, 
even  then,  kept  open  far  beyond  midnight.  First 
came  a  tragedy,  melodrama,  or  comedy,  and  after- 
wards a  farce.  I  remember,  for  instance,  that  I  saw 
the  elder  Booth  in  the  "Merchant  of  Venice"  at  a 
theatre  in  Spring  Street,  four  or  five  blocks  west  of 
Broadwa^-,  after  which  he  appeared  in  a  farce.  Be- 
sides playing  in  the  theatre  orchestra,  I  remember  I 
also  played  at  a  .French  dancing  school.  Of  course, 

JThe  New  Yorl-  Philharmonic  Society,  to  which  Mr. 
Thomas  refers,  was  organized  in  1842,  and  gave  its  first  con- 
cert on  December  7  of  that  year.  Its  principal  founder  was 
Uriah  C.  Hill.  There  was  also  a  Philharmonic  Society  in 
New  York  about  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century,  but 
its  life  was  brief. — EDR. 


22  THEODORE  THOMAS 

all  this  night  work  made  it  impossible  for  a  boy  of 
my  age  to  go  to  school  during  the  day. 

In  1848  my  father  enlisted  in  a  navy  band,  and  so 
did  I,  and  I  played  second  horn  to  his  first  in  the 
band  stationed  at  Portsmouth,  Virginia.  It  was  our 
duty  to  go  on  board  the  old  ship  "Pennsylvania"  daily, 
and  play  at  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  again  at 
sunset,  after  which  we  left  the  ship  and  had  our 
evenings  free  to  follow  our  profession. 

In  1849  m7  father  appears  to  have  become  pros- 
perous enough  to  dispense  with  my  financial  assist- 
ance, so  it  was  not  long  before  I  obtained  my  dis- 
charge from  the  navy,  and  was  off  for  the  South. 
I  do  not  remember  taking  anything  with  me  but  my 
fiddle,  my  little  box  of  clothing,  and  some  posters 
which  I  had  had  printed,  announcing  a  concert  by 
'  'Master  T.  T."  I  kept  a  supply  of  these  posters 
in  my  trunk,  and  when  I  had  no  money  I  first  ob- 
tained permission  to  use  the  dining  hall  of  a  hotel 
for  a  concert,  and  then  I  went  around  on  the  day 
before  the  concert  took  place  and  put  up  my  posters 
with  tacks.  When  the  time  for  the  concert  arrived, 
I  would  stand  at  the  door  of  the  hall  and  take  the 
money  until  I  concluded  that  my  audience  was  about 
gathered,  after  which  I  would  go  to  the  front  of  the 
hall,  unpack  my  violin,  and  begin  the  concert! 
Sometimes  I  played  with  piano  tfccompaniment,  but 
oftener  without.  I  have  yet  in  my  possession  a  set 
of  variations  on  "Home,  Sweet  Home,"  which  I 
wrote  down  some  years  later  as  a  souvenir  of  those 
days.  I  did  not  have  printed  programmes. 


LIFE  WORK  23 

When  I  had  money  I  did  not  play  in  concerts, 
but  vegetated,  Southern  fashion.  In  some  places  I 
met  amateurs  who  made  much  of  me,  and  there 
I  stayed  a  while.  Often  I  sent  my  trunk  on  ahead, 
and  travelled  on  horseback  alone  —  if  possible  at 
night  —  carrying  with  me  plenty  of  cigars  and  a 
pistol,  hoping  to  be  attacked  on  the  road  by  ban- 
dits! I  remember  one  place  in  Mississippi  where, 
after  I  had  announced  a  concert,  I  was  ordered  by 
the  authorities  to  leave  town,  because  they  believed 
the  devil  was  in  the  fiddle!  On  one  of  these  trips  I 
carried  my  violin  in  a  bag,  and,  lying  down  on  the 
ground  in  the  woods  for  a  rest,  suddenly  jumped  up 
and  stepped  on  it,  breaking  it,  of  course.  I  then 
went  to  a  carpenter  shop,  took  off  its  top,  pieced  it, 
glued  it  on  again,  and  played  on  it  the  next  day.  All 
this  is  not  so  easy  without  the  help  of  tools  made  for 
the  purpose,  and  how  I  managed  to  place  the  sound- 
ing-post I  do  not  know  —  probably  with  a  string. 

In  the  summer  of  1850  I  arrived  again  in  New 
York,  with  the  intention  of  going  to  Europe.  I  was 
then  fifteen  years  of  age,  and  somehow  had  recog- 
nized the  necessity  of  studying  if  I  expected  to  accom- 
plish anything  in  this  world.  But  what  ?  I  did  not 
know,  of  course,  that  a  general  education  was  needed, 
or  even  what  it  meant.  My  first  idea  was  to  become 
a  virtuoso,  so  I  began  to  practise  and  play  in  con- 
certs. New  York  had  changed  immensely  in  the  few 
years  which  had  elapsed  since  my  arrival  in  Amer- 
ica. Many  German  musicians,  singly  or  in  bands, 
had  come  over.  But  probably  the  most  important 


24  THEODORE  THOMAS 

educational  influence  on  my  mind  came  through  the 
establishment  of  a  German  theatre  with  a  fair-sized 
orchestra,  in  which  I  was  engaged  as  the  leading 
violinist.  Here  I  received  my  first  intellectual  im- 
petus, by  becoming  acquainted  with  the  plays  of  the 
great  German  poets.  As  a  few  years  before  I  had 
learned  of  the  existence  of  Shakespeare  through  the 
medium  of  an  English  theatre  orchestra,  so  now,  in 
the  orchestra  of  the  German  theatre,  I  became  fa- 
miliar with  the  masters  of  German  literature,  Goethe 
and  Schiller,  and  they  made  a  strong  impression  upon 
me.  Another  feature  of  this  engagement  was  the 
regular  Sunday-night  concerts  given  there,  in  which 
I  often  appeared  as  soloist.  My  repertoire  already 
included  Lipinski's  "Concerto  Militaire,"  Vieux- 
temps's  First  Concerto,  and  the  '  'Othello  Fantaisie" 
of  Ernst. 

, 

The  next  two  or  three  years  can  be  easily  sketched 
together.  The  right  influence  came  to  me  at  the 
right  time,  and,  musically  speaking,  gave  me  the 
opportunities  to  prepare  myself  for  my  later-day 
task,  and  shaped  my  future  as  no  other  influence 
could  have  done.  The  beginning  of  the  fifties 
brought  over  to  this  country  not  only  instrumental- 
ists, but  the  most  brilliant,  finished,  and  mature 
vocalists  of  the  world,  such  as  Jenny  Lind  and  Son- 
tag,  besides  a  large  number  of  eminent  Italian  sing- 
ers, among  them  Mario,  Grisi,  Bosio,  Alboni,  and 
others.  I  doubt  if  there  were  ever  brought  together 
\in  any  part  of  the  world  a  larger  number  of  talented 
vocalists  than  were  gathered  in  New  York  between 


V. 

I 


On  Friday  Evening,  February  20th,  1S52, 

' 


9 

)  ~    - 

Thty  w.n  \>t  MiuUJ  b>  iKt  Wl»»i»J  KmiMiU  A»,hi»», 

/  Mrs.  Laura  A.  Jones, 
Mr.  Henry  Satire* 


TVTr.  George  F.  Bristcrw, 

WK.  wflpt»V«4«f  itl   '<*(»•  'ill* 

Herr  Kfefet, 

Thomas, 


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2.  "HatjUeKt  Wtcp''  PoeiiybyJ.H.  Woir.wr^W-Mo"*  frorn 

Ihc  Opfra.f^p   Van  WWilf."  Mr.  Sq-nw '  Ve"Ju 

I  H  ^7^  t  "c*wl~  M  **unA  ^l^  '.'^I'r.  °eJ*".IN'.r ."" "  KO  '""i 

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3     Sola  ConrfT/rra    Mt.  S«dj«.!ct<.  VtTj- 

"         -    •  '      •     ^         -"-ivf  by  '>).  L    t5~-----*- — 


.  — 

Z.  "  T/ie  S'ar  of  {net-"—  Comet  Band  ocf  f  isp«"'n»f «t.  /  j 

Mr.H    sJivf —    V/.  Y.  Wa.U.t    U 

8    K.cU  Sc/.- TVm.  4    V«,,ai;<,nj  Tom  Ot*»o. 
4.  "  C.'.r^,    rf'0r<;,o>'-  Du<l  fi-orn  Sem.r-cmidit 

A.«»  IT  8    D.vlworUi.  Cc?«i.i  Baadaupmpi 


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|  TICKETS.. 5O  CENTS, 

*^v 


THEODORE    THOMAS'S    FIRST   PROGRAMME 
(FACSIMILE  OF  ORIGINAL) 


LIFE  WORK  25 

1850  and  the  early  sixties.  The  pure  and  musical 
quality  of  their  art  was  of  great  value  in  forming  the 
taste  of  an  impressionable  boy,  at  the  outset  of  his 
career.  It  was  under  this  influence,  also,  that 
Adelina  Patti  grew  up,  for  she  attended  the  rehearsals 
of  these  singers  daily  with  her  parents.  I  played 
everywhere,  in  opera  and  concerts,  and  was  very 
popular.  The  only  thing  against  me  was  my  youth. 
I  was  very  small,  and  looked  even  younger  than  I 
really  was.  The  orchestras,  of  course,  were  still  not 
numerous  or  large,  for  Italian  opera  in  those  days 
could  be  well  given  with  an  orchestra  of  thirty-five  or 
forty  men.  The  concert  orchestras  then,  towards 
the  end  of  the  forties,  were  those  of  Gungl,  and  the 
Germania.1 

The  season  of  opera  and  concerts  was  short,  how- 
ever, and  the  problem  of  making  a  living  was  as 
difficult  for  an  orchestral  player  to  solve  then  as  now. 
I  remember  that  when  my  funds  ran  out  I  used  to 
go  to  my  friend,  Harry  B.  Dodworth,  tell  him  that  I 
was  in  need  of  money,  and  ask  him  to  let  me  play  for 
balls  to  earn  the  money  to  pay  my  board !  This  he 

1  Josef  Gungl,  of  Berlin,  came  to  New  York  with  his  band 
in  1849,  but  remained  in  this  country  only  one  season.  Upon 
his  return  to  Germany  he  wrote  a  most  scathing  criticism  of 
musical  conditions  in  New  York.  The  Germania  Orchestra, 
the  nucleus  of  which  was  formed  from  Gungl's  band,  also 
came  in  1849,  and  made  a  tour  of  the  principal  cities  in  the 
United  States.  For  a  time  it  greatly  flourished,  but  after 
five  years  of  varying  fortunes  it  was  disbanded.  The  Ger- 
mania unquestionably  exerted  a  most  important  influence 
'upon  popular  musical  taste,  and  helped  to  prepare  the  way  for 
the  great  work  Mr.  Thomas  was  destined  to  perform. — EDE. 


26  THEODORE  THOMAS 

always  did,  and  I  still  thank  him  for  it.  I  played  for 
the  dancing  faithfully  the  whole  night  through,  and 
used  it  as  a  mode  of  practice.  Once,  when  I  was  a 
boy,  I  remember,  seeing  no  way  of  earning  the  money 
for  my  board,  I  took  my  fiddle  under  my  coat,  went 
to  the  bar-room  of  a  hotel,  and  played,  and  soon 
had  the  money  I  needed,  after  which  I  left.  Other 
well-known  musicians  had  to  beat  the  big  drum  all 
day  in  street  parades.  I  was,  fortunately,  not  driven 
to  that. 

Jullien,1  the  musical  charlatan  of  all  ages,  who, 
nevertheless,  exerted  some  useful  influence  upon 
orchestral  music,  made  his  appearance  in  the  United 
States  in  August,  1853. 

He  brought  over  with  him  a  number  of  soloists  — 
flute,  hautbois,  clarinet,  cornet,  trombone,  and 
ophicleide  players  —  the  last  an  instrument  now  re- 
placed by  the  tuba,  but  much  missed  in  works  like 

1  Louis  Antoine  Jullien,  son  of  a  bandmaster,  was  born  at 
Sisteron,  Basses- Alpes,  April  23,  1812.  He  was  educated 
in  Paris,  and  conducted  his  first  concerts  in  London,  where, 
during  many  years,  he  gave  an  annual  series  of  concerts.  He 
remained  in  this  country  until  June  28,  1854,  then  returned  to 
London,  where  he  was  in  severe  financial  straits,  and  thence 
went  to  Paris.  In  that  city  he  was  imprisoned  for  debt,  and 
finally  died  in  a  lunatic  asylum  in  1860.  Mr.  Thomas's  sharp 
characterization  of  him  is  warranted  by  his  many  eccentricities, 
sensations,  and  extravagances,  as  well  as  by  his  affected  deport- 
ment at  the  conductor's  desk,  which  at  times  reached  the 
extreme  height  of  silliness.  He  was  fond  of  prodigious  effects. 
Upon  one  occasion  in  London  he  used  six  military  bands  in 
addition  to  his  permanent  orchestra,  and  in  a  "musical  con- 
gress" announced  "six  grand  musical  fetes,  with  four  hundred 
instrumentalists,  three  distinct  choruses,  and  three  distinct 
military  bands." — EDR. 


LIFE  WORK  27 

the  "Midsummer  Night's  Dream,"  by  Mendelssohn. 
He  also  brought  Bottesini,  the  contra-bassist,  and  a 
number  of  violinists,  amongst  them  the  Mollenhauer 
brothers,  and  others.  New  York  has  never  had, 
before  or  since,  the  like  of  his  wood-wind  players. 
The  rest  of  the  orchestra  was  made  up  of  New  York 
players,  and  I  was  one  of  the  first  violinists.  Jullien 
was  the  first,  as  I  remember,  who  played  with  a  large 
orchestra  —  I  think  he  had,  in  Castle  Garden,  twenty 
first- violinists.  His  programmes  were  all  popular  in 
character,  and  some  of  the  special  features  of  them 
were  the  "Katy-did  Polka,"  the  "Prima  Donna 
Waltz,"  and  the  "Fireman's  Quadrille."  As  a  fea- 
ture of  the  latter,  an  alarm  of  fire  was  regularly 
sounded,  and  a  brigade  of  firemen  appeared  in  the 
hall!  This  created  great  consternation  in  the  audi- 
ence the  first  time  it  was  given.  He  also  played  over- 
tures and  movements  of  symphonies. 


CHAPTER   II 

Jenny  Lind. — Henrietta  Sontag. — Adelina  Patti. — Karl  Eckert. 
— Joseph  Noll. — Is  Appointed  Leader  of  Second  Violins  in 
Eckert's  Orchestra. — Concertmeister  under  Arditi. — Anna 
de  Lagrange. — Ce*sare  Badiali. — Luigi  Arditi. 

JENNY  LIND,  Sontag,  and  Patti  are  three  promi- 
nent names  in  musical  history.  Jenny  Lind 
was  the  first  to  appear.  She  had  conquered  the 
world  on  the  operatic  stage,  and,  while  still  young, 
had  retired  to  the  concert  stage.  She  was  truly  a 
great  singer.  She  had  an  exceptional  voice,  compass, 
technique,  and  warmth,  and  impressed  one  with  a 
sense  of  grandeur. 

Mme.  Sontag,  who  left  the  stage  early  and  re- 
tired to  private  life,  returned  to  it  again  after  an 
absence  of  twenty  years,  during  which  time  she  had 
developed  into  a  mature  artist,  having,  at  the  same 
time,  preserved  her  voice  in  perfect  condition  by 
leading  a  quiet  life.  I  do  not  remember  another 
singer  in  whom  art  and  experience  were  combined 
with  such  freshness  and  quality  of  voice.  She  would 
appear  one  night  as  Zerlina  in  "Don  Giovanni,"  and 
the  next,  perhaps,  in  the  title  part  of  "Lucrezia 
Borgia."  No  one  who  saw  her  in  the  first  role 
could  ever  be  satisfied  with  any  other  impersonation 
of  it.  As  for  the  second,  a  dramatic  role,  if  she  was 
surpassed  by  some  artists  of  heavier  voice  and  more 

28 


LIFE  WORK  29 

dramatic  acting,  the  artistic  unity  of  her  perform- 
ance, nevertheless,  left  nothing  to  be  desired. 

Neither  of  these  exceptional  women  conquered  the 
world  with  voice  and  execution  alone.  It  was  the 
perfection  and  blending  of  these  qualities,  together 
with  the  single  aim  —  that  of  truthful  expression, 
which  gave  greatness  to  whatever  they  rendered.  I 
have  never  heard  their  equals. 

Patti's  voice  was  of  delicious  quality  and  great 
charm,  easy  in  delivery  and  true,  like  the  singing  of 
a  bird  —  but  it  expressed  no  more  soul  than  the  song 
of  a  bird. 

The  important  musical  influence  of  one  man,  who 
appeared  at  this  time,  has,  never  to  my  knowledge, 
been  recognized.  This  man  was  Karl  Eckert,1  who 
had  been  brought  over  with  Mme.  Sontag  as  leader 
of  her  orchestra.  Eckert  was  a  man  of  the  world, 
and  had  moved  in  good  society.  He  was  an  educated 
man,  a  gentleman,  a  high-grade  musician,  violinist, 
composer,  and,  last  but  not  least,  the  only  really  fully 
equipped  and  satisfactory  conductor  who  visited  this 
country  during  that  period.  All  of  the  rest  were 
more  or  less  '  'time-beaters."  What  I  learned  from 

1  Karl  Eckert  was  born  at  Potsdam,  December  7,  1820. 
His  musical  ability  was  displayed  at  a  very  early  age,  and  he 
at  once  became  a  favorite  with  Mendelssohn,  with  whom  he 
studied  in  1839.  In  1851  he  was  accompanist  at  the  Italian 
Theatre  in  Paris,  and  after  his  return  from  this  country,  in 
1852,  was  conductor  of  the  Italian  Opera  in  the  same  city. 
In  1854  he  went  to  Vienna  as  director  of  the  Court  Opera, 
in  1861  to  Carlsruhe  as  Capellmeister,  and  in  1868  was  ap- 
pointed director  at  Berlin,  which  position  he  held  until  his 
death,  October  14,  1879. — EDR. 


30 

Eckert  it  is  difficult  at  this  time  to  say,  but  his  influ- 
ence probably  laid  the  foundation  of  my  future 
career. 

Eckert  was  not  a  disciplinarian,  but  he  had  been 
associated  with  the  best,  and  would  have  nothing 
else.  For  the  first  time  there  was  order  in  the 
orchestra.  I  remember  that  at  the  beginning  of 
the  season  constant  changes  took  place  among  the 
men  at  every  rehearsal.  I  was  one  of  the  first  violin- 
ists, and  think  I  sat  at  the  second  stand.  One  morn- 
ing Eckert  said  to  me :  l  'I  cannot  procure  a  satisfac- 
tory leader  for  the  second  violins.  Will  you  help  us 
out?"  A  leading  violinist,  or,  as  the  English  say, 
"principal"  of  a  part,  is  the  man  on  whom  the  con- 
ductor must  depend  under  all  circumstances  to  bring 
the  attack  when  he  gives  the  beat.  He  is  also  respon- 
sible, in  some  measure,  for  the  other  players  in  the 
same  part.  Each  part  of  the  quintette  has  such  a 
leader.  In  opera  he  is  often  of  great  importance 
when  mistakes  happen  on  the  stage. 

I  accepted  the  offer,  and  at  once  had  an  independ- 
ent and  responsible  position,  which  also  brought  me 
into  close  contact  with  a  thoroughly  experienced 
musician,  perhaps  a  master.  I  must  have  done  well, 
for,  in  spite  of  my  being  a  boy,  and  an  American 
boy  at  that,  Eckert  and  I  remained  very  good  friends. 
This  was  probably  one  of  those  important  opportu- 
nities which  Providence  opens  for  one,  and  I  had 
sense  enough  to  recognize  it. 

At  the  head  of  the  first  violins  sat  a  man  who  ought 
not  to  be  overlooked  here,  a  very  good  violinist  and 


LIFE  WORK  31 

a  routined  but  conservative  musician,  named  Joseph 
Noll.  He  was  first  violinist  in  the  Eisfeld  Quartette, 
and  everywhere  else.  Noll  had  probably  held  sim- 
ilar positions  in  Germany,  and  had  the  virtues,  as 
well  as  the  faults,  of  the  German  school  of  those 
days,  the  principal  aim  of  which  was  to  produce 
a  large  tone,  irrespective  of  quality.  A  vibrating, 
velvety  tone  was  considered  effeminate.  In  this 
respect  the  Germans  have  changed  very  much  since 
then  —  and  to  their  advantage  —  owing  to  interna- 
tional influences.  Noll,  however,  produced  a  good 
tone,  but  always  so  loud  that  he  made  ensemble  play- 
ing impossible.  Toward  the  close  of  his  career  he 
was  a  loyal  member  of  my  orchestra,  as  viola  player. 

According  to  my  recollection  it  was  in  the  follow- 
ing year  that  I  became  the  leader  of  the  first  violins 
—  concertmeister  —  with  Arditi  as  conductor.  The 
troup  included  artists  of  the  first  rank,  like  Lagrange, 
Mirate,  and  Badiali.  The  voice  of  Lagrange  did 
not  compare  in  quality  with  that  of  either  Jenny  Lind 
or  Sontag,  but  it,  nevertheless,  was  of  good  quality, 
large  compass,  highly  cultivated,  and  was  used  in  a 
musicianly  manner. 

I  have  always  considered  Mirate1  the  greatest 
tenor  I  have  heard,  without  exception,  in  voice,  com- 

1  Mirate  was  a  great  favorite  in  Italy,  and  highly  esteemed 
by  Verdi.  He  created  the  part  of  the  Duke  in  the  latter 's 
"Rigoletto,"  and  received  an  ovation  for  his  singing  of  the 
well-known  canzone,  "La  donna  e  mobile."  Mr.  Thomas's 
panegyric  is  a  deserved  tribute  to  an  artist  whose  name  is  not 
found  in  any  of  the  modern  dictionaries  of  music,  not  even 
in  Grove's  "  Dictionary  of  Music,"  or  the  Century  "  Dictionary 
of  Names." — EDR. 


32  THEODORE  THOMAS 

pass,  method,  and  musicianship.  He  staid  only 
a  short  time  in  this  country,  and  then  returned  to 
Italy. 

Badiali  ranked  with  these  two  singers,  but  bari- 
tones, or  high  basses,  according  to  quality  of  voice, 
were  not  so  rare  as  tenors. 

Arditi  was  an  Italian,  as  his  name  indicates.  He 
began  his  career  as  a  violinist.  He  was  a  good  con- 
ductor of  Italian  opera.  He  knew  his  music,  and 
one  could  instantly  perceive  that  he  had  pounded  it 
over  on  the  piano  many  times  with  his  singers.  In 
those  days  the  education  of  the  average  singer  was 
very  limited,  and  it  was  the  duty  of  the  conductor, 
except  in  large  European  institutions,  to  pound  on 
the  piano  with  the  singers  until  they  knew  their 
parts  well  enough  to  go  to  an  orchestra  rehearsal. 
There  the  same  methods  would  be  continued,  the 
music  being  played  over  until  it  went  together.  I 
can  remember  singers  of  great  renown  who  did  not 
know  the  name  of  a  note.  Arditi,  who  was  a  small, 
nervous,  energetic  man,  was  in  touch  with  his  or- 
chestra. 

Many  conductors  do  not  interest  themselves  in  the 
orchestra  they  conduct  beyond  expecting  it  to  be  a 
willing  instrument.  This  is  especially  true  of  an 
opera  orchestra.  In  the  days  when  Italian  opera 
was  supreme,  the  highest  accomplishment  of  an 
orchestra  was  to.  follow  the  singer.  Furthermore, 
there  was  no  permanancy  in  opera,  orchestra,  or 
anything  pertaining  to  music  in  this  country.  The 
conductor  also  was  never  in  any  place  long,  and 


HENRIETTE   SONTAG 
(FROM  AN  EARLY  PRINT) 


LIFE  WORK  33 

expected  to  find  the  best  orchestra  talent  which  circum- 
stances permitted  provided  for  him.  So  it  happened 
that  the  orchestra  was  generally  engaged  and  formed 
by  some  man  who  was  an  inferior  musician  himself, 
but  who  was  supposed  to  know  the  better  musicians, 
and  had  some  business  capacity.  This  man  would 
receive,  besides  his  salary  from  the  manager,  a  per- 
centage from  every  man  in  the  orchestra,  and  whoever 
was  unwilling  to  submit  to  this  exaction  could  not 
get  an  engagement.  As  concertmeister,  I  had  both 
power  and  responsibility,  and  I  dispensed  with  this 
middle  man,  and  began  by  making  all  engagements 
with  the  members  of  the  orchestra  myself.  The  order 
I  had  learned  under  Eckert  I  retained,  and  this 
made  a  first-class  orchestra  possible,  and  gave  me 
much  influence.  From  that  time  on  there  was  prob- 
ably no  good  instrumentalist  who  did  not  spend  his 
first  years  in  America  in  the  orchestra  I  formed.  It 
had  a  standard  thereafter  which  made  itself  quickly 
felt. 


CHAPTER   III 

The  New  York  Philharmonic  Society. — Henry  C.  Timm  and 
William  Scharfenberg. — Elected  a  Member  in  1854. — 
Theodore  Eisfeld. — Carl  Bergmann. 

/"T~VHE  concerts  of  the  New  York  Philharmonic  So- 
-*•  ciety  by  this  time  had  begun  to  attract  some  at- 
tention, probably  owing  to  the  efforts  of  good  teachers, 
like  Henry  C.  Timm1  and  William  Scharfenberg.2 
These  two  men  had  great  influence.  They  were  edu- 
cated musicians,  good  pianists,  loved  their  art,  and 
were  highly  respected.  I  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
Philharmonic  Society  January  21,  1854.  Its  princi- 
pal conductor  at  that  time  was  Theodore  Eisfeld.3 
Later,  Carl  Bergmann  alternated  with  him. 

1  Henry  Christian  Timm  was  born  at  Hamburg,  Germany, 
July  n,  1811,  and  made  his  d&but  as  a  pianist  in  1828.     He 
came  to  this  country  in  1835,  and  for  several  years  made  con- 
cert tours.     He  played  the  organ  at  some  New  York  churches, 
and  did  most  efficient  work  as  chorus  master.     He  was  one  of 
the  earliest  members  of  the  Philharmonic  Society,  and  its  presi- 
dent for  several  years.    He  died  September  4,  1892. — EDR. 

2  William   Scharfenberg   was   born  at  Cassel,  Germany, 
February  22,  1819.    He  was  a  pupil  of  Hummel,  and  later 
played  second  violin  in  Spohr's  quartette.     He  came  to  this 
country  in  1838,  and  made  his  debut  as  pianist.     For  many 
years  he  was  recognized  as  a  superior  teacher,  and  was  a  great 
favorite  in  concerts.    He  also  made  valuable  contributions 
to  musical  periodicals,  and  held  various  offices  in  the  Phil- 
harmonic Society.    He  died  August  8,  1895. — EDR. 

'Theodore    Eisfeld,    who    conducted    the    Philharmonic 
Society  for  many  years,  was  born  at  Wolfenbiittel,  Germany, 

34 


LIFE  WORK  35 

Eisfeld  belonged  to  the  class  of  "time-beaters," 
and  would  make  corrections  in  the  harmonies  of 
master-works  he  did  not  understand.  Bergmann 
was  a  talented  musician  and  a  fair  'cello  player,  who 
came  to  this  country  in  1850  as  a  member  of  a  small 
orchestra,  the  Germania,  of  which  he  afterwards 
became  conductor.  The  Germania  had  its  head- 
quarters in  Boston  early  in  the  fifties,  and  made  sev- 
eral tours.  After  it  disbanded,  in  1854,  Bergmann 
went  to  Chicago.1  Eisfeld  became  sick  in  1855,  and 

April  n,  1816.  From  1839  to  1843  he  was  Capellmeister 
at  the  Wiesbaden  Court  Theatre,  and  the  "  Concerts  Viviennes," 
Paris.  He  came  to  New  York  in  1848,  and  shortly  afterwards 
became  conductor  of  the  Philharmonic,  as  well  as  of  the  Har- 
monic Society,  when  it  was  first  organized.  He  also  estab- 
lished quartet  soirees  in  1851,  with  Noll,  Reyer,  and  Eich- 
horn,  Otto  Dresel  being  the  pianist,  and  continued  them 
for  several  years.  He  went  back  to  Europe  in  1866,  and 
died  at  Wiesbaden  in  1882.  Mr.  Eisfeld  must  be  credited 
with  having  introduced  the  first  regular  concerts  of  chamber 
music  in  New  York. — EDR. 

lCarl  Bergmann  went  to  Chicago  in  November,  1854,  and 
gave  a  concert,  at  which  he  was  assisted  by  the  Chicago  Phil- 
harmonic Society,  of  which,  at  that  time,  Christopher  Plagge 
was  conductor.  He  was  invited  to  remain  and  take  charge 
of  the  Society,  and  consented.  He  gave  his  first  concert 
December  22,  1854,  at  Metropolitan  Hall.  His  season,  how- 
ever, was  limited  to  two  concerts.  Musical  jealousies  arose, 
and  at  last  became  so  bitter  that  Bergmann  left  in  disgust 
and  went  back  to  New  York.  The  society  went  to  pieces, 
but  was  reconstructed  in  1856  with  Prof.  C.  W.  Webster  as 
conductor.  It  dragged  along  a  sickly  existence  until  1860, 
when  it  was  revived  and  placed  upon  a  sounder  footing  under 
the  direction  of  Hans  Balatka.  For  several  years  his  concerts 
were  the  fashionable  rage;  but  fashion  is  fickle,  and  on  April  3, 
1868,  the  Society  died  insolvent.  Mr.  Balatka  gave  two  con- 
certs on  his  own  account  in  1868,  and  four  in  1869.  The 
last  of  the  four  was  given  November  26,  1869,  and  on  the  next 


36  THEODORE  THOMAS 

Bergmann  was  sent  for  to  conduct  the  last  Philhar- 
monic concert  of  that  season.  At  this  concert  he 
brought  out  the  "Tannhauser  Overture,"  and  made 
with  it  probably  the  greatest  success  of  his  life.  I 
remember  it  well.  It  sounded  little  as  we  know  it 
to-day,  but  it  shook  up  the  dry  bones  and  made  the 
dust  fly,  anyway!  The  following  season  (1855-56), 
Bergmann  was  engaged  to  conduct  all  the  Phil- 
harmonic concerts,  Eisfeld  still  being  sick. 

It  has  been  said  by  those  who  are  unfamiliar  with 
the  history  of  that  time,  that  Bergmann  was  my 
model  in  conducting.  This  is  incorrect.  Eckert, 
as  I  have  already  said,  was  the  one  who  influenced 
me,  and  from  whom  I  learned.  Bergmann  was  very 
reticent  about  his  past  life.  He  gave  the  impression 
that  he  never  worked  much,  or  cared  to  do  so.  He 
lacked  most  of  the  qualities  of  a  first-rank  conductor, 
but  he  had  one  great  redeeming  quality  for  those  days 
which  soon  brought  him  into  prominence.  He  pos- 
sessed an  artistic  nature,  and  was  in  sympathy  with 
the  so-called  "Zukunft  Musik."1  He  lacked  the 
force,  however,  to  make  an  impression,  and  had  no 
standard.  He  derived  his  principal  inspiration  from 
our  chamber  music  practice.  His  readings  of  Bee- 
thoven's works  showed  clearly  that  he  had  no  tradi- 
tion, and  that  it  was  not  based  on  study.  I  remem- 
ber well  one  morning,  after  we  had  been  playing 

evening  Theodore  Thomas's  orchestra  played  for  the  first 
time  in  the  same  hall.    Mr.  Balatka  retired  from  the  field. 
A  new  musical  revelation  had  been  made  to  Chicago. — EDR. 
1  Music  of  the  future. 


LIFE  WORK  37 

the  Schumann  string  quartets  for  the  first  time,  his 
saying  to  me:  "You  have  lifted  the  veil  from  our 
eyes  to-day."  It  was  after  this  that  he  brought  out 
hitherto  unknown  orchestral  works  by  Schumann. 

After  I  had  formed  my  own  orchestra,  Bergmann 
and  I  remained  good  friends,  and  enjoyed  each 
other's  company.  He  always  spoke  appreciatively 
to  me,  but  as  I  grew  more  successful  his  companions 
tried  to  make  him  jealous  of  my  success  —  which  he 
had  not  sufficient  energy  to  emulate.  I  always  felt 
that  under  favorable  conditions  Bergmann  might 
have  been  of  greater  service  to  his  adopted  country. 
He  did  not  play  the  piano  well  enough  to  be  an 
accompanist,  and  had  not  the  energy  to  make  a  posi- 
tion for  himself  as  a  teacher,  so  his  income  was 
always  small.  The  Philharmonic  societies  paid 
little.  I  remember  when  I  began  to  conduct  the 
Brooklyn  Philharmonic  concerts,  the  conductor's 
fee,  which  was  the  same  as  Eisfeld  and  Bergmann  had 
had,  was  not  much  more  than  that  of  any  member  of 
the  orchestra.  Afterwards,  with  the  growing  suc- 
cess of  these  concerts,  my  salary  was  increased  until 
it  reached  several  thousand  dollars  for  the  season. 

A  few  years  before  his  death,  I  offered  to  share 
the  conductorship  of  my  orchestra  with  Bergmann, 
and  pay  him  a  salary.  He  accepted  the  offer,  but 
when  the  morning  came  for  the  rehearsal,  at  which 
he  was  to  appear,  he  staid  away. 


387382 


CHAPTER   IV 

Chamber  Concerts. — The  Mason-Thomas  Quartette.  —  Wil- 
liam Mason. — Joseph  Mosenthal.  —  George  Matzka. — 
Bergmann  in  Chamber  Music. — Frederick  Bergner. — 
The  Quartette  disbands. 

*p\URING  1855  chamber  concerts  were  estab- 
*~^  lished  by  William  Mason,  under  the  name 
*  'Mason  and  Bergmann."  *  The  following  year  they 

1  The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  original  announcement  of 
these  famous  chamber  concerts: 

MUSICAL  MATINEES. 

"  Messrs.  William  Mason  (pianoforte)  and  Carl  Bergmann 
(violoncello) ,  assisted  by  Messrs.  Theodore  Thomas  (first  violin) , 
J.  Mosenthal  (second  violin),  and  G.  Matzka  (viola),  propose  a 
series  of  six  monthly  classical  musical  entertainments,  to  be 
given  on  the  last  Tuesday  of  each  succeeding  month,  at  2  P.  M. 

"In  consequence  of  the  numerous  evening  engagements 
of  the  city,  and  to  enable  lady  amateurs  and  students  to  be 
present  without  escort,  it  is  proposed  to  give  matinees  in 
preference  to  soirees.  This  arrangement  will  also  enable 
those  residing  in  the  suburbs  to  attend,  as  each  performance 
will  occupy  only  about  an  hour  and  a  half.  The  novel  and 
most  important  feature  of  these  entertainments  will  be  the 
presentation  of  such  music  —  quartets,  trios,  sonatas,  etc. — 
as  opportunity  is  rarely  afforded  to  listen  to,  except  in  some 
very  select  circles  of  Europe.  The  later  quartets  of  Beethoven, 
rarely  heard  in  public  even  abroad,  the  works  of  Schumann, 
Schubert,  Franck,  Volkmann,  Brahms,  Rubinstein,  and  Ber- 
wald  will  form  the  leading  features  of  the  programmes.  Two 
leading  compositions,  quartets,  or  trios,  will  be  given  entire 
at  each  performance,  while  the  programmes  will  be  completed 
by  compositions  of  a  lighter  character.  In  short,  it  is  intended 
to  arrange  these  matinees  after  the  celebrated  ones  of  Liszt 
at  Weimar." — EDR. 

38 


LIFE  WORK  39 

were  discontinued,  but  were  resumed  in  1857-58, 
under  the  name,  "Mason  and  Thomas."  Berg- 
mann  being  absent,  his  place  was  filled  by  C. 
Brannes  until  the  third  matinee,  when  Bergmann 
resumed  his  place.  The  influence  of  these  con- 
certs during  the  fourteen  years  of  their  existence  is 
best  shown  by  their  programmes.  Of  course  these 
did  not  pay,  and  I  suppose  that  Mason  must  have 
borne  the  losses  for  many  years,  for  they  never  paid 
more,  at  best,  than  the  expenses  of  the  hall  and  the 
doorkeeper. 

William  Mason,  as  sincere  in  art  as  in  his  daily 
life,  had  a  genuine  musical  nature.  He  showed 
talent  at  an  early  age,  and  was  sent  to  Europe,  where 
he  had  exceptional  opportunities  for  study,  and  favor- 
able surroundings.  After  his  return,  he  appeared  as 
a  virtuoso,  but  soon  realized  the  conditions  of  his 
country  in  musical  affairs.  He  gave  proof  of  his  sin- 
cerity by  inaugurating  chamber  concerts  at  once, 
although  the  Eisfeld  organization  was  still  in  exist- 
ence. It  knew  neither  flood  nor  ebb,  however, 
whereas  the  first  programmes  of  Mason  and  Berg- 
mann sounded  the  war-cry  of  death  to  stale  and 
meaningless  music,  and  proclaimed  progress.1  Works 

1  It  is  evident  that  Mr.  Thomas,  when  he  wrote  this,  had 
in  mind  the  grand  trio  in  B  major,  op.  8,  of  Brahms,  which 
closed  the  first  programme,  and  was  performed  by  Mr.  Mason, 
Mr.  Bergmann,  and  himself.  The  house  was  crowded  upon 
this  occasion,  but  the  critics  did  not  greatly  relish  Brahms. 
"The  New  York  Times"  said  the  next  morning: 

"The  trio  in  B  flat  by  Mr.  Brahms  is  an  early  work 
written,  we  believe,  at  the  age  of  eighteen.  With  many  good 
points,  and  much  sound  musicianship,  it  possesses  also  the 


40  THEODORE  THOMAS 

by  Schubert,  Brahms,  Beethoven  (ops.  59,  95,  and 
130),  Schumann,  Rubinstein,  and  Bach  were  the 
principal  features  of  the  first  season. 

Of  course  this  spirit  was  transmitted  directly  from 
Weimar.  It  is  true  that  some  programmes  showed 
that  undue  influences  had  been  brought  to  bear  by 
the  insertion  of  silly  songs  and  solos  between  the 
quartets  and  trios,  and  that  there  was  no  standard 
in  sight  yet.  But  at  that  time  everything  relative  to 
music  in  this  country  was,  so  to  speak,  in  its  infancy. 

Mr.  Mason  afterwards  turned  his  attention  to 
teaching,  and  we  all  know  how  successful  and  influ- 
ential his  work  has  been.  He  decided  to  devote  his 
life  to  this  calling,  and  his  aptitude  for  this  field 
cannot  be  doubted.  He  had  the  best  pedagogic 
foundation,  wide  experience,  the  highest  sense  for 
tone-quality,  great  patience,  and  was  then,  as  now, 
a  thorough  musician. 

usual  defects  of  a  young  writer,  among  which  may  be  enum- 
erated length  and  solidarity.  The  motivos  seldom  fall  on 
the  ear  freshly;  they  suggest  something  that  has  been  heard 
before,  and  induce  a  skeptical  frame  of  mind,  not  altogether 
just,  for  the  composer  evidently  has  ideas  of  his  own  (sic). 
In  the  elaboration  of  these  ideas  he  is  frequently  original, 
always  correct,  and  generally  too  lengthy." 

"The  New  York  Dispatch"  said  with  philosophical 
resignation: 

"  The  Brahms  Trio  is  a  composition  in  the  ultra  new  school 
of  which  we  may  say  briefly  that  we  do  not  yet  understand  it. 
Whether  this  be  due  to  our  dullness  of  perception,  or  lack  of 
appreciation,  or  the  intricate  character  of  the  music,  we  do 
not  pretend  to  say.  .  .  Yet  we  feel  obliged  to  Messrs. 
Mason  and  Bergmann  for  the  opportunity  they  afforded  us 
for  hearing  and  becoming  acquainted  with  this  peculiar  and 
outri  style  of  music." — EDR. 


KARL   ECKERT 


LIFE  WORK  41 

Other  members  of  the  Quartette  were  Joseph 
Mosenthal  and  George  Matzka.  Mosenthal  was 
the  most  conservative  musician  of  us  all.  He  was 
lovely  and  sincere  of  nature,  well  educated,  and  a 
good  violinist  and  musician.  He  was  born  in 
Cassel,  and,  belonging  to  the  Spohr  school,  was 
still,  of  course,  enthusiastic  for  that  composer's 
music.1 

Matzka  came  from  the  Coburg  orchestra,  and  was 
an  able  and  ambitious  musician. 

Bergmann  was  only  a  moderate  performer,  but 
he  did  everything  with  a  certain  grace ;  his  technique 
was  limited,  and  his  tone,  of  course,  was  not  large,  be- 
cause he  never  practised.  The  quartette  rehearsals 
were  held  at  my  house,  from  nine  to  twelve  o'clock  in 
the  morning,  about  three  times  a  week.  Why  Berg- 
mann should  have  gone  through  this  drudgery  of 
early  rehearsals,  often  being  obliged  to  carry  his  in- 
strument in  all  kinds  of  weather,  may  possibly  be  ex- 
plained by  the  fact  that  these  rehearsals  were  the  only 
existing  source  of  artistic  food  for  him.  It  was  also 
characteristic  of  him  that  while  he  was  so  susceptible 
to  modern  music,  I  never  had  his  support  in  placing 
one  of  the  later  quartets  by  Beethoven  on  our  pro- 
grammes. I  understood  readily  why  Mosenthal 

1  In  an  interview  several  years  ago,  Mr.  Mosenthal  said : 
"I  think  that  no  men  ever  played  together  who  understood 
each  other  better  than  did  Thomas,  Matzka,  Bergner,  and  I. 
Theodore  Thomas  was  a  magnificent  violin  player,  as  you 
may  have  observed  last  summer,  when  he  played  a  solo  at 
Gilmore's  Garden,  the  first  one  in  a  long  while  in  public,  I 
think.  Our  first  concerts  were  given  at  the  old  Dodworth 
Hall,  next  to  Grace  Church." — EDR. 


42  THEODORE  THOMAS 

and  Matzka  were  not  enthusiastic  about  the  matter, 
for  they  were  still  somewhat  under  the  influence  of 
their  European  training.  But  Bergmann  and  I  had 
had  no  training.  However,  the  programme  making 
was  left  to  me,  and  I  fought,  and  did  my  duty  as  I 
saw  it.  We  played  the  last  quartets,  but  perhaps  not 
so  often  as  I  wished. 

Our  Quartette  generally  played  together  in  the 
orchestras  of  opera  or  concerts.  Mosenthal  always 
played  at  the  same  stand  with  me,  and  Matzka  and 
Bergmann  were  also  at  their  respective  places. 
There  were  rather  strong  contrasts  in  our  work  at 
times,  as,  for  instance,  when  a  rehearsal  of  one  of  the 
last  Beethoven  quartets  was  followed  by  a  rehearsal 
of  "Trovatore."  Again,  when  Brahms's  Second  Ser- 
enade appeared,  I  called  a  rehearsal  for  the  orchestra 
to  run  it  over  an  hour  before  a  rehearsal  of  '  'Rigo- 
letto."  Bergmann  was  in  the  orchestra,  and  brought 
out  the  Serenade  in  1862  in  a  Philharmonic  concert. 
He  remained  in  our  Quartette  until  after  the  first 
concert  in  1861.  The  immediate  cause  of  his  with- 
drawal I  do  not  remember,  but  I  believe  one  reason 
was  that  he  was  tired  of  the  work.  Frederick  Berg- 
ner,  by  far  the  most  able  'cellist  of  that  time,  took 
Bergmann's  place,  and  the  Quartette  was,  no  doubt, 
the  gainer  by  the  change.  Bergner  remained  with 
us  until  the  Quartette  disbanded.1 

1  Bergner  once  said  to  the  late  Charles  D.  Hamill,  when 
asked  his  opinion  of  Mr.  Thomas  as  a  violinist :  "  One  of  the 
greatest  violinists  in  the  world  was  spoiled  to  become  the 
greatest  conductor." — EDR. 


LIFE  WORK  43 

Each  member  of  the  organization  had  made  his 
way,  and  gained  influence.  It  is  hardly  necessary  to 
say  that  our  influence  was  thrown  in  favor  of  Berg- 
mann  as  a  conductor,  especially  of  the  Philharmonic 
concerts,  as  neither  the  programmes  nor  the  execu- 
tion suited  us.  We  represented,  in  those  days,  the 
ultra-modern  spirit.  The  Quartette  was  continued 
until  April,  1868,  when  it  died  a  natural  death,  be- 
cause my  time  was  gradually  absorbed  by  the  orches- 
tra, and  I  had  to  travel.  The  other  members  devoted 
their  time  to  teaching. 

I  should  like  to  close  this  chapter  with  a  tribute  to 
Karl  Klauser,  a  musician  and  a  man  of  culture,  who 
was  at  the  head  of  the  musical  department  in  Miss 
Porter's  school  at  Farmington,  Connecticut,  from 
1855.  He  is  mentioned  here  on  account  of  the  influ- 
ence he  has  had  in  this  country  in  cultivating  the  taste 
for  everything  that  is  noble  in  music.  He  created  an 
artistic  and  refined  atmosphere  for  his  pupils,  and 
the  young  women  who  studied  at  his  famous  school, 
and  who  came  from  all  parts  of  the  country,  took 
away  with  them  genuine  love  and  respect  for  the  art 
of  music,  and  were  active  in  promulgating  this  spirit 
all  their  lives.  I  have  often  met  with  instances  of 
this  most  unexpectedly,  and  in  widely  distant  local- 
ities. He  inaugurated  annual  chamber  concerts  at 
the  school  for  the  pupils,  and  Mason,  Thomas, 
Mosenthal,  Matzka,  Bergmann,  and  Bergner  gave 
regular  concerts  in  Farmington  from  1856  until  the 
Quartette  was  disbanded.  He  also  engaged  artists 


44  THEODORE  THOMAS 

like  Rubinstein  and  Billow  to  give  recitals  there  when 
they  visited  America.  Why  have  not  other  similar 
institutions  taken  an  example  from  this  effective  mode 
of  cultivating  the  tastes  of  their  pupils  ? l 

1  Mr.  William  Mason,  in  his  "  Memories  of  a  Musical  Life," 
says:  "Through  Mosenthal  our  Quartette  became  acquainted 
with  Mr.  Karl  Klauser,  who  was  an  active  and  enthusiastic 
musician  of  thorough  education,  and  who  has  accomplished  a 
great  deal  of  useful  work,  both  as  a  compiler  and  teacher  of 
classic  and  modern  composition.  Mr.  Klauser  is  a  native 
of  St.  Petersburg,  born  of  German  parents.  He  came  to 
New  York  in  1850,  and  was  engaged  as  musical  director  in 
Miss  Porter's  famous  school  for  young  ladies  in  1855,  a  post 
which  he  filled  with  credit  and  ability  for  many  years.  He 
was  enthusiastically  fond  of  chamber  music,  and  frequently 
attended  the  rehearsals  of  our  quartette;  and  it  was  through 
him  that  we  were  induced  to  give  recitals  in  Farmington  six 
months  after  our  beginning  in  New  York."  It  should  be 
added  to  Mr.  Mason's  reference  to  Mr.  Klauser,  that  he  not 
only  selected  the  material  used  in  his  teaching  with  the  utmost 
care,  but  enriched  it  by  rectifying  corrupt  texts,  as  well  as 
with  correct  fingerings  and  indications  for  the  performance 
of  embellishments.  His  work  in  this  direction  includes  over  a 
thousand  piano  compositions  from  the  classics  critically 
revised,  several  editions  of  lighter  works,  a  volume  of  pro- 
gressive studies,  and  numerous  arrangements  of  orchestral 
and  chamber  music  for  the  piano.  "Dwight's  Journal  of 
Music"  in  1872,  in  a  long  sketch  of  this  indefatigable  worker, 
pays  him  this  tribute:  "Only  by  such  uninterrupted  efforts 
as  these  of  Klauser  can  a  great  and  truly  musical  public  grow 
up  in  America.  Therefore  honor  to  the  man  who,  one  of  the 
first,  has  set  out  upon  his  artistic  mission  with  earnestness  and 
decision,  and  who  now,  after  some  seventeen  years  of  toil, 
has  already  been  able  to  send  out  more  than  one  thousand 
young  apostles  of  this  musical  faith  into  all  parts  of  North 
America." — EDR. 


CHAPTER  V 

Musical  Studies. — Ullmann's  Opera  Troupe  in  1857. — Grand 
Concerts. — Sigismund  Thalberg,  and  Henri  Vieuxtemps. — 
Carl  Anschiitz. — End  of  Thomas's  "Apprenticeship." 

/TpHE  time  had  now  come  for  me  to  make  the 
•*•  best  use  of  my  opportunities  for  study.  I  had 
studied  harmony,  five  or  six  years  previously,  with 
Rudolph  Schwillinger,  and  now  took  up  counterpoint 
and  fugue  with  an  able  organist,  William  Meyer- 
hofer.  I  still  continued  my  position  with  Ullmann  as 
concertmeister  of  his  opera  company.  In  1857,  for 
the  first  time  in  America,  the  proportions  of  grand 
opera  were  properly  balanced.  There  were  first- 
rank  singers,  an  increased  chorus,  and  an  enlarged 
orchestra,  which  had  reached  the  efficiency  of  Euro- 
pean grand  orchestras.  Ullmann  used  to  say  that  I 
was  ruining  him  by  engaging  so  large  an  orchestra. 
My  answer  was,  "Then  discharge  me!"  whereupon 
he  would  reply,  "Sein  Sie  dock  nicht  so  hitzig" 

Besides  the  opera  troupe  Ullmann  had  under  his 
management  Thalberg,  the  pianist,  Vieuxtemps,  the 
violinist,  and  plenty  of  material  for  grand  concerts, 
and  we  gave  them.  He  also  brought  over  Carl 
Anschiitz,  to  conduct.  Anschiitz  belonged  to  the 
class  of  conductors  I  have  called  "time-beaters," 
though  he  was  the  most  intelligent  and  the  best  edu- 
cated of  them  all.  Besides  a  good  general  schooling, 

45 


46  THEODORE  THOMAS 

he  had  a  liberal  musical  education,  but  he  never 
could  be  in  sympathy  or  touch  with  an  orchestra. 
He  neither  played  any  stringed  instrument,  nor  any 
other  used  in  the  orchestra.  He  had  never  been  in 
the  rank  and  file,  and  accomplished  only  a  certain 
kind  of  routine  with  small  opera  troupes.  He  pounded 
the  piano  for  the  singers,  which,  we  have  seen,  was 
the  custom  of  the  day.  His  influence,  for  a  time, 
however,  was  good.  He  was  a  hard  worker  and  a 
well-meaning  man ;  but,  after  all,  he  was  a  routinier, 
and  succumbed  gradually  to  his  surroundings. 

Those  were  busy  days.  An  opera  season  was 
begun  without  a  library,  so  to  speak.  When  works 
like  '  'Robert  the  Devil"  and  '  The  Huguenots,"  were 
given,  we  had  the  orchestral  parts,  but  they  were  new, 
and  had  never  been  played  from.  To  understand  the 
situation,  it  is  necessary  for  me  to  explain  that  the 
orchestral  parts  in  those  days  were  very  faulty.  The 
Italian  music  was  mostly  manuscript,  and  seldom 
corrected,  and  routine  was  necessary  to  know  the 
notes  and  traditions.  I  remember  one  season  that 
the  last  act  of  "  Lucia  di  Lammermoor"  (an  opera 
much  given  in  those  days),  was  missing  in  the  part  of 
the  first  stand,  at  which  Mosenthal  and  I  sat,  and  we 
had  to  "revamp"  it,  as  the  saying  is.  In  the  French 
music  the  print  was  too  small,  to  begin  with,  besides 
being  printed  from  worn-out  plates.  The  general 
outfit  was  so  slovenly  that  the  parts  needed  careful 
revising  before  they  could  be  used.  As  an  illustra- 
tion, '  'The  Huguenots"  was  announced  by  the  man- 
agement, and  we  had  the  parts,  but  the  score  had 


^f  I        " 


JENNY    LIXD 
(FROM  A  PAINTING) 


LIFE  WORK  47 

not  arrived  from  Paris,  or  had  been  lost.  The  usual 
cuts  had  to  be  marked  to  save  time  in  the  rehearsals, 
and  we  would  find,  for  instance,  a  page  from  the 
clarinet  part  in  that  of  the  'cello;  a  flute  part  in  the 
trumpet,  or  a  trombone  part  among  the  violins,  etc. 
Having  no  score  to  go  by,  clerical  help  could  not  be 
hired  to  make  these  corrections,  and  it  became  a 
work,  not  of  love,  but  of  nights,  to  straighten  these 
matters  and  put  the  parts  in  fit  order  for  use  on  the 
players'  desks.  Anschiitz  was  at  home  in  this  kind  of 
work,  and  I  quickly  became  his  assistant  and  '  'right- 
hand  man"  in  everything  on  the  stage  and  in  the 
orchestra.1  It  is  hardly  necessary  to  say  that  I  thus 

JThe  New  York  correspondent  of  "D wight's  Journal  of 
Music,"  writing  under  date  of  December  10,  1860,  thus  refers 
to  Mr.  Thomas  as  conductor  of  the  Ullmann  Opera:  "Carl 
Anschiitz  appears  to  be  involved  in  the  fall  of  the  Ullmann 
dynasty  and  his  place  as  conductor  of  the  orchestra  is  taken 
by  Theodore  Thomas,  the  young  violinist,  who  looks  'severe 
in  youthful  beauty,'  as  he  wields  the  baton,  rather  nervously  it 
must  be  confessed,  and  directs  the  performance  of  venerable, 
spectacled,  and  bald-headed  'cellists  and  trombonists,  old 
enough  to  be  his  great  grandfathers.  It  is  always  a  treat  to 
me  to  see  him  in  the  orchestra.  He  plays  the  violin  with  such 
careless  grace  that  even  his  elevation  to  the  conductorship 
does  not  reconcile  me  to  the  loss  of  his  violin  performance." 

Mr.  Thomas  has  touched  but  lightly  upon  the  days  of  his 
apprenticeship,  but  they  were  busy  ones,  like  all  his  days  to  the 
end  of  his  career,  and  of  importance  as  they  were  helping  to 
prepare  him  for  that  career.  Before  taking  leave  of  this  part 
of  his  life,  a  few  leading  events  should  be  recorded  to  com- 
plete its  story.  The  earliest  of  his  collection  of  programmes 
shows  that  he  played  as  "Master  Thomas"  at  "Dodworth's 
Musical  Festival"  in  Metropolitan  Hall,  New  York,  February 
20,  1852,  the  other  performers  being  Miss  Laura  A.  Jones, 
soprano;  Mr.  Henry  Squires,  tenor;  Mr.  George  F.  Bristow, 
pianist;  Herr  Kiefer,  corno  bassetto  player;  Mr.  Sedgwick, 


48  THEODORE  THOMAS 

learned  much  from  him,  for  he  was  at  his  best  under 
such  circumstances. 

These  years  I  might  call  my  '  'apprenticeship," 

concertina  player;  Mr.  Allen  Dodworth,  cornetist,  and  the 
Dodworth  Band.  At  this  concert  "Master  Thomas"  played 
Ernst's  "  Othello"  theme  and  variations.  On  the  26th  of  the 
following  April  he  played  Lipinski's"  Concerto  Militaire"  and 
Ernst's  "Carnival  of  Venice"  at  a  concert  for  the  benefit  of  a 
member  of  Dodworth's  Band.  In  1856  his  name  appears  for 
the  first  time  as  leader  in  eleven  sacred  concerts  at  the  City 
Assembly  Rooms,  conducted  by  Carl  Bergmann.  At  these 
concerts  Schumann's  Fourth  Symphony,  Manfred  overture, 
and  the  "Overture,  Scherzo  and  Finale,"  op.  52,  Haydn's 
D  major  symphony,  Berlioz's  "Carnaval  Romain"  and  "Wa- 
verly"  Overtures  were  given  for  the  first  time  in  this  coun- 
try. April  13,  1857,  at  the  Thalberg  concert  he  played  the 
Beethoven  B  flat  trio  with  Thalberg  and  Bergmann,  and  also 
in  a  duo  from  "The  Huguenots"  with  Thalberg.  In  the  fall 
of  1858  and  spring  of  1859  he  made  a  concert  tour  with  Ole 
Bull  in  the  West  and  South.  In  April  and  May,  1859,  he 
conducted  opera  for  Ullmann.  October  10, 1860,  he  was  leader 
to  a  gala  performance  of  opera  at  the  American  Academy  of 
Music,  Philadelphia,  in  honor  of  the  Prince  of  Wales,  Max 
Maretzek  and  Sig.  Muzio  conducting.  "  Martha"  and  the  first 
act  of  "Traviata"  were  given  and  the  principal  artists  were 
Adelina  Patti,  Fanny  Natali,  Pauline  Colson,  Brignoli,  Barili, 
Errani,  and  Carl  Formes.  December  8,  1860,  he  conducted 
"Stradella"  with  Fabbri  as  Leonora,  Stigelli  as  Stradella,  and 
Carl  Formes  as  Barbarino.  January  24,  1861,  he  conducted 
at  an  operatic  entertainment  at  the  American  Academy  of 
Music,  Philadelphia,  in  which  Mme.  Bertha  Johannsen,  Mme. 
Von  Berkel,  Mme.  Anna  Bishop,  Sig.  Stigelli,  and  Herr  Carl 
Formes  took  part  in  selections  from  "  Martha,"  "  Tancredi," 
"Der  Freischiitz,"  and  "  Masaniello,"  the  whole  concluding 
with  "  a  grand  National  Tableau  of  Washington  in  which  the 
entire  company  will  sing  'The  Star  Spangled  Banner.'"  In 
this  year  (1861),  Mr.  Thomas  gave  up  all  connection  with  the 
theatre.  He  became  animated  by  his  great  purpose  of  educat- 
ing the  public  to  an  appreciation  of  music,  and  to  this  purpose 
he  devoted  the  remainder  of  his  life,  resolutely,  courageously, 
and  untiringly,  winning  at  last  the  laurels  of  success. — EDR. 


LIFE  WORK  49 

as  a  practical  musician  and  conductor.  It  was  easy 
and  pleasant  to  work  with  Anschiitz,  for  he  was  a 
kindly,  congenial,  and  most  generous  man.  I  was 
gradually  drawn  into  the  conductor's  chair  by  his 
illness,  though  I  avoided  it  as  long  as  I  could,  for  I 
wished  all  my  time  for  study. 


CHAPTER   VI 

The  New  York  Philharmonic  Society. — First  Series  of  Thomas 
Symphony  Soirees,  1864. — Belvedere  Lion  Park  Concerts, 
1865. — Terrace  Garden  Summer  Night  Concerts,  1866. — 
Building  of  Central  Park  Garden  Hall. — Elected  Con- 
ductor of  Brooklyn  Philharmonic  Concerts. — Inception  of 
the  Thomas  Orchestra. — Plans  for  a  Permanent  Symphony 
Orchestra. — Summer  Concerts  and  Winter  Travelling. — 
In  Boston,  etc. — Proposals  from  P.  T.  Barnum. 

TN  1862  I  concluded  to  devote  my  energies  to  the 
•*•  cultivation  of  the  public  taste  for  instrumental 
music.  Our  chamber  concerts  had  created  a  spas- 
modic interest,  our  programmes  were  reprinted  as 
models  of  their  kind,  even  in  Europe,  and  our  per- 
formances had  reached  a  high  standard.  As  a  con- 
cert violinist,  I  was  at  that  time  popular,  and  played 
much.  But  what  this  country  needed  most  of  all  to 
make  it  musical  was  a  good  orchestra,  and  plenty  of 
concerts  within  reach  of  the  people.  The  Philhar- 
monic Society,  with  a  body  of  about  sixty  players, 
and  five  yearly  subscription  concerts,  was  the  only 
organized  orchestra  which  represented  orchestral 
literature  in  this  large  country. 

It  is  true  that  the  public  was  admitted  to  a  number 
of  its  rehearsals,  in  addition  to  its  concerts,  but  their 
influence  was  not  salutary.  The  orchestra  was  often 
incomplete.  If  a  member  had  an  engagement,  he 
would  go  to  it  instead  of  to  the  rehearsal.  When  one 

50 


LIFE  WORK  51 

of  the  wind  choir  was  thus  absent,  his  place  would  be 
filled  for  the  occasion  as  best  it  could.  A  clarinet  or 
oboe  part  would  be  played  on  a  violin,  or  a  bassoon 
part  on  the  'cello,  etc.  The  conductor  therefore 
could  not  rehearse  as  he  ought,  and  the  audience 
talked  at  pleasure.  Under  these  circumstances 
justice  could  not  be  done  to  the  standard,  much  less 
to  the  modern  and  contemporary  works.  Such  con- 
ditions debarred  all  progress. 

I  had  been  prominent  before  the  public  in  chamber 
concerts,  and  as  concertmeister  (leader  of  the  violins), 
of  the  opera  since  1855,  and  during  later  years,  also, 
as  conductor  of  concerts  and  opera,  and  I  thought 
the  time  had  come  to  form  an  orchestra  for  concert 
purposes.  I  therefore  called  a  meeting  of  the  fore- 
most orchestra  musicians  of  New  York,  told  them  of 
my  plans  to  popularize  instrumental  music,  and  asked 
their  cooperation.  I  began  by  giving  some  concerts 
at  Irving  Hall,1  and  conducted  some  Brooklyn 
Philharmonic  concerts,  alternating  with  Theodore 
Eisfeld,  and  in  1864  I  gave  my  first  series  of  Sym- 
phony Soirees,  with  an  orchestra  of  about  sixty  men. 
These  concerts  were  at  once  successful  artistically 
but  only  moderately  so  financially.  During  the 

1  The  first  of  the  Irving  Hall  concerts  was  given  December 
3,  1864.  In  his  prospectus,  Mr.  Thomas  says:  "The  desire 
for  good  music  and  for  a  prompt  acquaintance  with  the  latest 
works  of  the  schools  that  produce  it  is  now  one  of  the  settled 
conditions  of  New  York  society,  and  in  endeavoring,  year 
after  year,  to  satisfy  it,  Mr.  Thomas  is  always  gratified  to 
know  that  he  appeals  to  an  ever  extending  audience.  He  is 
persuaded  therefore,  that  the  present  intention  to  lay  before 
the  public  some  of  the  most  interesting  works  of  modern  and 


52  THEODORE  THOMAS 

summer  of  1865  a  series  of  concerts  was  given  in  the 
afternoon  at  Belvedere  Lion  Park,  One  Hundred 
and  Tenth  Street,  with  an  orchestra  of  thirty  players. 
During  the  winter  of  1865-66  more  concerts  were 
given,  and  in  the  summer  of  1866  a  series  of  one  hun- 
dred Summer  Night  Concerts  was  inaugurated  at 
Terrace  Garden,  with  enough  success  to  give  promise 
for  the  future.  An  audience  had  been  collected  and 
educated  to  enjoy  that  form  of  entertainment,  and  I 
had  succeeded  in  finding  a  respectable  occupation 
during  the  summer  months  for  a  small  orchestra. 
During  the  season  of  1866-67  several  concerts  were 
given,  the  number  of  which  was  increased  by  the 
opening  of  Steinway  Hall.  There  were  concerts 
with  many  soloists  and  an  occasional  symphony, 

classical  composers  will  meet  with  a  ready  and  liberal  support." 
The  programme  of  this  memorable  concert  was  as  follows: 

PART  I. 

1.  Symphony,  No.  8,  F  major   ....   Beethoven. 

Orchestra. 

2.  Scena  and  aria,  "  Non  piu  di  fiori "      .        .         .  Mozart. 

Miss  Fanny  Raymond. 

3.  Concerto  in  F  minor,  op.  21  (larghetto  and  finale)  .  Chopin. 

Mr.  S.  B.  Mills. 

PART  II. 

4.  Suite,  op.  113,  in  D Fr.Lachner. 

Orchestra. 

5.  Cavatina, "  Ah !    S'estinto"    .         .         .         Mercadante. 

Miss  Fanny  Raymond. 

6.  Dramatic  Symphony,  "Romeo  and  Juliet"  (second 

part) Berlioz. 

Orchestra. 

It  will  be  seen  from  this  that  the  young  conductor,  at  this 
time  twenty-nine  years  of  age,  was  pluming  his  wings  for  an 
eagle's  flight. — EDR. 


LIFE  WORK  53 

under  the  management  of  L.  F.  Harrison,  and  a  series 
under  the  management  of  Bateman,  in  which  Ma- 
dame Parepa  was  the  chief  attraction,  as  well  as  many 
others  in  both  New  York  and  Brooklyn.  In  this 
year  also  I  was  elected  conductor  of  the  Brooklyn 
Philharmonic  Society  for  the  season,  which  added  to 
the  income  of  my  orchestra,  an  engagement  of  twenty 
performances  —  fifteen  rehearsals  and  five  concerts.1 

The  musical  season  in  New  York  closed  with 
a  festival  under  the  management  of  Mr.  Harrison, 
in  which  I  did  not  take  part,  having  gone  to  Europe 
to  learn  what  orchestras  were  doing  there.  It  lasted 
a  week,  and  the  programmes  are  worth  tran- 
scribing as  typical  of  the  times. 

In  1867  a  second  season  of  Summer  Night  Con- 
certs was  given  at  Terrace  Garden,  which  opened 
June  10,  and  continued  until  September  15.  Dur- 
ing my  absence  in  Europe  they  were  conducted  by 
F.  J.  Eben  and  George  Matzka.  I  returned  July  i, 

1  The  letter  offering  the  directorship  to  Mr.  Thomas  was 
as  follows: 

BROOKLYN,  N.  Y.,  June  28, 1866. 
MR.  THEODORE  THOMAS, 

DEAR  SIR: — At  a  meeting  of  the  Executive  Committee  of 
the  Philharmonic  Society  of  Brooklyn,  held  this  evening,  you 
were  elected  conductor  for  the  next  season  (1866-67)  at  a 
salary  of  $500,  and  I  was  authorized  to  inform  you  of  such 
action.  I  was  also  desired  to  request  you  to  meet  the  Music 
Committee  at  an  early  date  so  that  any  details  affecting  your 
acceptance  or  declination  of  the  position  might  be  thoroughly 
understood  before  your  decision  in  the  matter. 
Very  truly  yours, 

GEO.  WM.  WARREN, 
Chairman  of  the  Music  Committee. 


54  THEODORE  THOMAS 

in  time  to  conduct,  bringing  many  novelties  with  me. 
These  concerts  were  very  successful,  and  the  pro- 
grammes had  improved  and  advanced.  It  was  in 
this  season  that  some  business  men  offered  to  build  a 
hall  for  me,  which  would  be  suitable  for  summer  con- 
certs. The  Terrace  Garden  concerts  had  always 
been  given  in  the  open  air,  the  orchestra  playing  in 
an  inclosure,  while  the  audience  were  seated  under 
the  trees.  When  it  rained  there  was  a  scramble  for 
a  hall  in  the  adjacent  building.  We  also  had  many 
little  extravaganzas,  which  provoked  much  amuse- 
ment. On  one  occasion,  for  instance,  while  playing 
the  "Linnet  Polka,"  I  requested  the  piccolo  players 
to  climb  up  into  the  trees  before  the  piece  began. 
When  they  commenced  playing  from  their  exalted 
position  in  the  branches,  it  made  a  sensation.  I 
remember  another  funny  incident  which  happened 
about  this  time.  In  the  "Carnival  of  Venice"  the 
tuba  player  had  been  sent,  not  up  the  trees,  but  back 
of  the  audience  into  the  shrubbery.  When  he  began  to 
play  the  police  mistook  him  for  a  practical  joker  who 
was  disturbing  the  music,  and  tried  to  arrest  him !  I 
shall  never  forget  the  comical  scene,  as  the  poor  man 
fled  toward  the  stage,  pursued  by  the  irate  policeman, 
and  trying  to  get  in  a  note  here  and  there,  as  he  ran.1 

1  The  Terrace  Garden  concerts  were  given  every  evening 
except  Saturday.  On  that  day  there  was  a  matinee  perform- 
ance. Every  Friday  evening  in  the  first  season  the  second 
part  of  the  programme  contained  movements  of  symphony 
or  classical  overtures.  In  the  second  season  the  second  part 
was  similarly  arranged  for  both  Tuesday  and  Friday  evenings 
and  "composers'  nights"  figured  on  the  programmes  —  a 
practice  which  Jullien  introduced  some  years  before  this. — EDR. 


under  the  direction  of  Mr.  L.  F.  HARRISON. 

Monday  June  3d.  Handel's  Oratorio  of  the  Messiah. 

MADAME  PAREPA-ROSA.  MRS.  ZELDA  HARRISON-SEGUIX. 

MR.  WM.  CASTLE.  MR.  ,T.  R.  THOMAS.  MR.  E.  J.  CONNOLLY. 

New  York:    Harmonic    Society   and.    Or'chestra, 
Conductor,    -   -    -    Mr.  F.  L.  HITTER. 

Tuesday,  June  4th.       Mendelssohn's  Hymn  of  Praise^      46th  Hymn. 

OVERTURE    TO    OTHELLO. 

MADAME    PAREPA-ROSA.  MRS.    EMELINE    REED. 

MADAME  RAYMOND  HITTER.       MR.  W.  J.  HILL.       MR.  E.  J.  CONNOLLY. 

!N"e\v  York    Harmonic    Society    and.    Orchestra, 
Canductor,    -    -    -    Mr.  F.  L.  BITTER. 

Wednesday,  June  oth  —  Evening. 
HAYDN'S    ORATORIO    OF   THE    CREATION. 

MADAME    PAREPA-ROSA. 
MR.  GEO.  SIMPSON.         MR.  J.    R.   THOMAS.         MR.  E.  J,  CONNOLLY. 

N"ew  Yorlt    Harmonic-    Society    and     Orchestra, 
Conductor,    -    -    -    Mr.  F.  L.  RITTEE. 

Wednesday  Matinee,  June  5th.    Miscellaneous  Concert. 

MISS   HENRIETTA    BEEBE.  MISS    NETTIE    STERLING. 

MR.  W.  J.   HILL.  MR.   S.   C.  CAMPBELL. 

MR.  ALFRED    H.   PEASE.  MR.  G.   W.   COLBY. 

O  r  c  li  e  s  t  v  a  , 
Conductors,    -    -    -   Mr.  CARL  ROSA  and  Mr.  G.  MATZKA. 

Thursday,  June  6th.       ORCHESTRAL    CONCERT, 

MADAME    CARMELINA    POCH.  SIGNOR    BARAGLI.- 

SIGNOR   BELLINI.  MR.    WENZEL    KOPTA. 

MR.  J.  N.   PATTISON.        MR.    G.  W.  COLBY.        MR.  G.   W.  MORGAN. 

Full    Orchestra,  Conductor,  Mr.  CARL  BERGMAN. 

Friday,  June  7th. 

MENDELSSOHN'S   OBATORtO  OF  ELMAH, 

MADAME    PAREPA-ROSA.  MISS    CHARLOTTE  V.  HUTCHINGS. 

MRS     EMELINE   REED.  MISS    ALICE    HARRISON. 

MK.    GEO.    SIMPSON.        MR.  JULES   LOMBARD.        MR.   E.  J.  CONNOLLY. 
New  York    Harmonic    Society    and    Orchestra, 
Conductor,    -    -    -    Mr.  F.  L.  RITTER. 

Saturday,  June  8th.—  Evening.    Miscellaneous  Concert. 

MADAME    PAREPA-ROSA.  MR.    WILLIAM    CASTLE. 

MISS    MARIE    GILBBKT.  MR.  S.  C.    CAMPBELL. 

MR.  J.  N.  PATTISON.          MR.  ALFRED  H.  PEASE.         MR.  G.  W.  COLBf 

Full  Orchestra.     Grafulla  Military  Band.     Graham's  Drum  Corps. 
Conductors:  Messrs.  CARL  ANSCHUTZ,C.  MATZKA  &  C.  S.  CRAFULLA. 

Saturday  Matinee,  June  811i. 

svi?  r?  .*3  /P  ro>  «?  s?  A  ftf  fs1  V.T>  nr  -s     <P  /IT*  r^  ^  ?s  f?>  ?>» 

•y/,[  sj  ^j  -I)  iS  Uft|b4uV3iB^vVv        &  NS/  UJ    b  IS  la  li  » 
MADAME   PAREPA-ROSA.  MRS.   ZELDA  HARRISON-SEGUIN. 

MISS  MARIE   GILBERT.  MR.    WM.    CASTLE. 

MR    S.  C.  CAMPBELL.  MR.  J.   N.   PATTISON. 

-  MR.   ALFRED   Fl.  PEASE.  MR.   G.   W.   COLBY. 

Orchestra, 
Conductors,    -    -    -    Messrs.  CARL  ROSA  and  G.  MATZKA. 

Sunday^  June  OtJt. 

SELECTIONS  from  THE  PROPHET  and  STABAT  MATER. 


TO    JOHN"    THE     IB-A-IPTICST. 
MADAME  PAREPA-ROSA.  BADAJR  CARMELINA  POCH 

MADAME    NATAIJ    TESTA.  MR.   CARL  ROSA. 

SIGNOR  BARAGLI.  SIGNOR  BELLINI.  SIGNOR  ANTONUCCI. 

Orchestra, 
Conductors,  Mr*.  MAX  M.4RETZEK,  G.  W.  MORGAN  and  G.  MATZKA. 


PROGRAMME   OF  A    MUSICAL    FESTIVAL,   1867 
(FACSIMILE  OF  ORIGINAL) 


LIFE  WORK  55 

The  season  of  1867-68  was  a  repetition  of  the  pre- 
vious year,  but  on  May  25  the  new  hall,  Central  Park 
Garden,  was  opened  with  the  first  concert  of  the 
Summer  Night  series,  which  continued  nightly 
through  the  entire  summer  and  even  into  November.1 
The  occupation  of  the  orchestra  during  the  summer 
season  seemed  now  assured.  During  the  winter 
months  there  were  the  Symphony  Soirees,  the  Brook- 
lyn Philharmonic  concerts  and  public  rehearsals, 
and  numerous  miscellaneous  concerts  besides.  The 
thought  of  a  permanent  orchestra  was  natural  and 

*As  the  Central  Park  Garden  concerts  were  one  of  the 
landmarks  in  Mr.  Thomas's  career  the  opening  programme 
may  prove  of  interest: 

CENTRAL  PARK  GARDEN 

SEVENTH  AVENUE,  BETWEEN  FIFTY-EIGHTH  AND  FIFTY- 
NINTH  STREETS. 
Opening  Concert,  May  25,  1868. 

PART  I. 

i.     Opening   March,  "Central  Park   Gar- 
den"   ......     Theodore  Thomas. 

z.     Overture,  "  Rienzi "      .....        Wagner. 

3.  "On  the  Blue  Danube"  Waltz          .         .         .    Strauss. 

4.  Fantaisie,  "  Daughter  of  the  Regiment "         .      Donizetti. 

PART  II. 

5.  Overture,  "Oberon"        ....       Von  Weber. 

6.  "Ave  Maria" Bach-Gounod. 

7.  Allegro  vivace  from  "Reformation  Sym- 

phony"      Mendelssohn. 

8.  Scene  de  Ballet,  "Robert  le  Diable"    .         .     Meyerbeer. 

PART  III. 

9.  Overture,  "Pique  Dame"    ....  Suppe. 

10.  Polka  Mazurka,  "Libelle"  .     )  ~ 
Polka.  "  'S  giebt  nur  ein  Kaiserstadt"  j    '         *    *traus5' 

11.  "Serenade" Titl. 

Messrs.  Siedler  and  Schmitz. 

12.  Quadrille,  "  La  Grande  Duchesse"  .         .         Offenbach. 


56  THEODORE  THOMAS 

inevitable.  The  support  of  the  public  was  growing, 
the  orchestra  was  progressing  in  every  way,  and  it 
had  gained  in  size  and  quality  of  tone.  For  the  Sym- 
phony Soirees,  even  as  early  as  1867,  we  had  already 
increased  the  number  of  the  orchestra  to  eighty 
men. 

In  the  season  of  1868-69, 1  began  to  travel  with 
the  orchestra.  I  found,  however,  that  although  New 
York  and  Brooklyn  did  not  provide  engagements 
enough  to  fill  the  necessary  time  of  an  orchestra,  they 
nevertheless  offered  too  many  to  permit  us  to  go  far 
from  home.  After  the  summer  of  1869,  therefore,  I 
thought  the  orchestra  was  sufficiently  well  known 
over  the  whole  country,  and  I  decided,  as  the  only 
means  whereby  I  could  keep  my  organization  to- 
gether, to  devote  our  entire  time  to  travelling.  Ac- 
cordingly I  organized  my  orchestra  on  a  permanent 
basis,  and  for  the  first  time  (1869),  went  to  Boston. 
Our  success  there  was  instantaneous,  and  the  people 
of  that  city  were  loyal  to  me  as  long  as  I  travelled.1 

1  "The  visit  of  this  famous  New  York  orchestra  has  given 
our  music  lovers  a  new  and  quick  sensation.  Boston  had  not 
heard  such  orchestra  performances  before;  and  Boston  in  the 
frankest  humor  gave  itself  up  to  the  complete  enjoyment  and 
unstinted  praise  of  what  it  heard.  .  .  .  Picked  men,  most  of 
them  young,  all  of  them  artists,  all  looking  as  if  thoroughly 
engaged  in  their  work,  eager  above  all  things  to  make  the 
music  together  and  as  well  as  possible.  .  .  .  We  rejoice  in  the 
coming  of  this  orchestra.  It  is  just  the  kind  of  thing  that  we 
for  years  have  longed  for  in  view  of  our  own  progress  here. 
We  sincerely  thank  Mr.  Thomas,  first  for  giving  us  a  hearing, 
under  the  best  advantage,  of  a  number  of  works  which  were 
new  to  us,  but  more  we  thank  him  for  setting  palpably  before 
us  a  higher  ideal  of  orchestral  execution.  We  shall  demand 
better  of  our  own  in  future.  They  will  demand  it  of  themselves. 


LIFE  WORK  57 

I  gave  a  large  number  of  concerts  there  every  winter 
until  I  went  to  live  in  Cincinnati. 

After  Boston  I  went  west  as  far  as  Chicago,  touch- 
ing every  city  on  our  route,  and  returning  by  way  of 
St.  Louis,  Cincinnati,  Pittsburg,  and  intermediate 
cities,  to  New  York.  In  the  latter  city,  however,  I 
had  abandoned  my  Symphony  Soirees  and  all  regu- 
lar series  of  concerts  in  winter.  We  travelled  over 
the  whole  country,  giving  concerts  daily,  and  on 
May  9,  the  Central  Park  Garden  Summer  Night 
Concerts  began  again,  continuing  until  September  24, 
a  series  of  one  hundred  and  thirty-four  consecutive 
concerts.  The  season  was  very  successful,  and  the 
size  of  the  orchestra  was  now  enlarged.  After  this 
travelling  was  resumed,  and  in  1870,  which  was  the 
centennial  anniversary  of  the  birth  of  Beethoven,  I 
gave  a  Beethoven  programme,  including  a  sym- 
phony, all  over  the  country. 

The  next  year  brought  again  the  regular  Summer 
Night  Concerts  at  Central  Park  Garden,  and  in  the 
fall  we  travelled  again.  The  orchestra  had  now  be- 
come a  first-rank  organization,  numbering  sixty  per- 
manent members.  Leading  solo  artists  wrere  sitting 
at  all  the  first  desks,  and  a  high  standard  began  to 
appear — higher  in  fact,  than  had  ever  been  reached 
before  in  America,  both  in  programmes  and  in 

They  cannot  witness  this  example  without  a  newly  kindled 
desire,  followed  by  an  effort  to  do  likewise.  With  the  im- 
pression fresh  in  every  mind  of  performances  which  it  is  not 
rash  to  say  may  (for  the  number  of  instruments)  compare 
with  those  of  the  best  orchestras  in  Europe,  improvement  is  a 
necessity." — "Dwight's  Journal  of  Music,"  November  6,  1869. 


58  THEODORE  THOMAS 

execution.    The  public  began  to  be  interested,  and 
the  future  looked  bright. 

It  was  sometime  during  the  seventies  that  an 
amusing  incident  occurred.  I  received  a  visit  from 
a  man  who  was  known  over  the  whole  civilized  world 
—  it  is  even  said  that  the  French,  having  no  equiva- 
lent in  their  language  for  the  word  "humbug," 
adopted  his  name  as  a  substitute !  If  so,  they  at  least 
recognized  him  as  a  master,  and  so  did  I.  It  is 
P.  T.  Barnum  to  whom  I  refer.  He  called  upon  me 
to  arrange  with  me  to  '  'star"  around  the  country 
under  his  management.  Our  interview,  though 
brief,  was  pleasant.  After  he  had  gone,  and  I  had 
recovered  from  my  astonishment,  can  anybody  blame 
me  for  feeling  properly  elated  that  the  greatest  man- 
ager of  the  greatest  menagerie  on  earth  considered 
me  worthy  of  his  imperial  guidance,  and  was  willing 
to  place  me  advantageously  before  the  public,  beside 
the  fat  woman  and  the  elephants !  This  was  a  high 
tribute  —  but  what  had  I  done  to  deserve  it  ? 


CHAPTER   VII 

The  Chicago  Fire. — Financial  Losses. — First  Programme  of 
Finale  from  "Tristan  and  Isolde." — Symphony  Concerts 
in  New  York. — First  Wagner  Programme  in  America, 
September  17,  1872. — The  Wagner  Verein. — Tour  to 
New  Orleans. — Travelling  with  Rubinstein  and  Wieniawski. 
— The  New  York  Festival. — First  Cincinnati  Festival. — 
Appointed  Musical  Director  of  the  Philadelphia  Cen- 
tennial Exposition. — Mrs.  Gillespie  and  her  Work. — Failure 
of  Philadelphia  Summer  Concerts. — First  Season  of  Chicago 
Summer  Night  Concerts,  1877. — Summer  Night  Concerts 
in  St.  Louis,  Cincinnati,  and  Cleveland. 

/"\NE  Monday  morning  we  suddenly  found  our- 
^-^  selves  facing  one  of  the  great  historical  fires. 
It  was  October  9,  1871,  and  we  were  to  open  the 
season  at  the  Crosby  Opera  House  that  evening  in 
Chicago.1  For  the  first  time,  everything,  even  from  the 
business  point  of  view,  looked  very  promising,  but  it 
was  an  illusion.  Providence  evidently  wished  to  disci- 
pline me  a  little  more.  I  was  still  too  young,  too  pre- 
suming, and  had  too  much  vitality.  But  let  that  pass. 

1  The  Crosby  Opera  House  had  been  brilliantly  decorated 
and  renovated  throughout  during  the  summer  of  1871  and  was 
to  have  been  dedicated  anew  by  Mr.  Thomas  and  his  orchestra 
on  Monday  evening,  October  9.  It  was  lit  up  for  the  first  time 
on  Sunday  evening,  for  the  pleasure  of  friends  of  the  managers, 
and  two  or  three  hours  later  was  in  ashes.  Mr.  Thomas  and 
his  orchestra  reached  the  Twenty-second  Street  station  of 
the  Lake  Shore  Railroad  while  the  fire  was  at  its  height  and 
left  the  burning  city  at  once,  en  route  for  St.  Louis. — EDR. 

59 


60  THEODORE  THOMAS 

It  is  sufficient  that  I  became  so  involved  financially 
by  this  disaster,  and  the  consequent  interruption  of 
our  tour,  that  it  was  many  years  before  I  recovered 
from  my  losses,  and  the  wearisome  travelling  had  to 
go  on  indefinitely.  We  got  away  from  the  burning 
city  as  best  we  could,  and  spent  the  time  intervening 
before  our  next  engagement,  which  was  at  St.  Louis, 
October  21,  in  rehearsals.  We  began  by  studying 
the  Finale  of  '  'Tristan  and  Isolde,"  and  I  played  it 
in  connection  with  the  Vorspiel  (which  I  had  brought 
out  in  1865),  for  the  first  time  in  America  in  my  next 
series  of  eight  concerts  in  Boston,  the  following  De- 
cember. 

In  January  I  began  the  year  with  a  series  of  con- 
certs in  New  York,  Philadelphia,  Baltimore,  and 
Washington,  and  then  went  South.  In  all  the  larger 
cities  on  our  route  a  series  of  concerts  was  given, 
though  in  many  places  the  people  did  not  know  what 
to  make  of  them.  In  one  city  a  morning  paper  said, 
'The  concert  last  night  was  the  greatest  orchestral 
circus  the  city  has  ever  seen ! "  In  New  Orleans, 
the  "Traumerei"  made  such  a  sensation  that  when 
people  met  in  the  streets  the  morning  after  the  first 
concert,  they  greeted  one  another  by  shaking  hands 
and  humming  the  tune.  I  have  even  received,  dur- 
ing the  current  year  (1904),  a  letter  from  one  who 
heard  this  piece  during  that  tour,  and  still  enjoys  the 
recollection  of  it.  In  April  we  reached  Boston  again 
for  another  series  of  concerts. 

Our  winter  season  closed  May  8,  and  on  May  13 
the  Summer  Night  season  opened  as  usual,  at  Central 


LIFE  WORK  61 

Park  Garden,  in  New  York.  It  will  be  remembered 
that  for  three  years  I  had  discontinued  my  Sym- 
phony Soirees  in  New  York,  and  devoted  my  time  to 
travelling  during  the  winter  months.  In  September, 
1872,  however,  the  following  letter  came  to  me: 

NEW  YORK,  August,  1872. 
THEODORE  THOMAS,  ESQ., 

DEAR  SIR: — The  undersigned,  remembering  with  pleasure 
the  Symphony  Concerts  with  which  you  favored  us  in  former 
years,  take  the  liberty  of  requesting  of  you,  if  not  inconsistent 
with  your  plans,  a  series  of  similar  concerts  during  the  coming 
season.  They  feel  deeply  how  excellent  an  influence  such 
performances  exercise  in  informing  and  elevating  the  public 
taste  for  music,  and  sincerely  hope  that  nothing  will  prevent 
you  from  giving  us  the  desired  repetition  of  them. 
JULIUS  HALLGARTEN,  CHARLES  P.  DALY, 

CHARLES  C.  DODGE,  DR.  A.  ZINSSER, 

J.  WREY  MOULD,  DR.  KRACKOWITZOR, 

J.  W.  SELIGMAN,  MORGAN  Dix,  D.D., 

J.  R.  G.  HASSARD,  JOHN  S.  WILLIAMS, 

FRED.  DE  BELLIER,  A.  FORSTER  HIGGINS, 

HENRY  DE  COPPET,  WHITELAW  REID, 

DR.  AUSTIN  FLINT,  JR.,  GEORGE  WILLIAM  WARREN, 

S.  J.  GLASSEY,  CHARLES  COUTOIT, 

S.  LASAR,  CHARLES  M.  CONGREVE, 

J.  H.  CORNELL,  CHARLES  E.  HARMAR, 

DR.  J.  WEINER,  P.  BORNER, 

and  others. 

To  this  letter  I  sent  the  following  reply: 

Messrs.  JULIUS  HALLGARTEN,  CHARLES  P.  DALY,  CHARLES 
C.  DODGE,  and  others, 

GENTLEMEN: — Your  letter,  dated  August,  1872,  has  been 
received.    It  is  a  satisfaction  to  me  to  know  that  the  remem- 


62  THEODORE  THOMAS 

brance  of  those  concerts  is  still  fresh  after  the  lapse  of  three 
years,  in  a  country  where  the  past  is  so  soon  forgotten.  This 
fact  speaks  for  the  influence  they  have  had,  and  prompts  me 
to  comply  with  your  wish. 

The  interest  manifested  in  your  communication,  together 
with  the  improved  taste  in  the  musical  community  within  the 
last  few  years,  gives  me  assurance  that  these  concerts  cannot 
fail  to  be  successful. 

Respectfully  yours, 

THEODORE  THOMAS. 

NEW  YORK,  September  18, 1872. 

It  was  in  response  to  the  foregoing  request  that  I 
resumed  my  Symphony  Concerts  in  New  York  dur- 
ing the  season  of  1872-73,  but  this  time  I  gave  six  in 
place  «f  five,  and  called  them  "Concerts"  instead  of 
"S»irees."  Before  the  close  of  the  Summer  Night 
season  I  gave,  for  the  first  time,  at  the  one  hundred 
and  twenty-eighth  concert,  September  17,  a  Wagner 
programme,  which  met  with  tremendous  success.1 
After  the  "Ritt  der  Walkiiren,"  which  was  played 
that  night  for  the  first  time  (from  manuscript),  the 
people  jumped  on  the  chairs  and  shouted.  After  the 
concert  a  grand  banquet  took  place,  given  to  the 

*On  that  evening,  September  17,  1872,  Mr.  Thomas  laid 
before  the  members  of  his  orchestra  and  other  friends,  assem- 
bled at  his  invitation,  his  project  of  founding  a  Richard  Wagner 
Union,  on  the  plan  of  similar  societies  in  Europe.  His  pur- 
pose was  realized  the  same  evening,  and  he  was  chosen  president 
of  the  Union.  Its  immediate  object  was  to  raise  a  fund  by 
subscription  for  the  purchase  of  tickets  to  the  Baireuth  Festival 
in  the  summer  of  1874  for  the  use  of  members  of  the  orchestra 
and  also  to  defray  their  travelling  expenses.  The  fund  was  still 
further  increased  by  the  proceeds  of  two  concerts  given  by  the 
orchestra. — EDR. 


LIFE  WORK  63 

orchestra  by  prominent  citizens  of  New  York,  and 
that  same  night  the  New  York  Wagner  Verein  was 
organized  with  great  enthusiasm. 

Our  winter  season,  which  opened  as  soon  as  that 
of  the  summer  had  closed,  September  26,  found  us  in 
Albany  at  the  outset  of  our  regular  tour  west  to 
Chicago.  We  returned  via  St.  Louis,  Pittsburg,  and 
intermediate  cities,  to  New  York  in  time  for  the  first 
Symphony  Concert,  November  9.  This  season, 
1872-73,  was  doubly  memorable;  first,  because  the 
Wagner  programme,  which  I  first  gave  at  the  Cen- 
tral Park  Garden,  I  now  repeated  in  many  cities 
where  I  gave  a  series  of  concerts,  thus  familiarizing 
the  public  everywhere  with  Wagner's  music,  which 
at  that  time  was  unknown  outside  of  New  York; 
and,  second,  because  of  the  arrival  of  two  great  in- 
strumentalists, Rubinstein  and  Wieniawski,  who 
were  brought  to  America  by  Maurice  Grau. 

These  two  famous  artists  gave  many  concerts  and 
recitals  in  America,  and  afterwards,  in  December,  a 
'  'Grand  Combination  of  the  Rubinstein  and  Thomas 
Concert  Companies,"  as  they  were  advertised,  was 
effected.  The  attraction  was  sufficient  to  justify  me 
for  the  first  time  in  my  life  in  making  programmes 
without  making  allowance  for  ignorance  or  prejudice. 
Before  the  season  closed,  we  had  given  many  con- 
certs in  all  the  larger  cities  of  the  Eastern  and  Middle 
states.  Programmes  of  works  of  the  highest  stan- 
dard, rendered  by  such  artists  and  such  an  or- 
chestra, were  a  revelation  everywhere,  and  made  a 
lasting  impression.  They  gave  this  country  the 


64  THEODORE  THOMAS 

great  artistic  impetus  for  which  it  seemed  at  last 
to  be  ripe. 

Our  season  closed  with  two  Festivals,  one  at  the 
end  of  April,  in  New  York,  to  which  the  famous 
Handel  and  Haydn  Society  of  Boston  accepted  my 
invitation,  and  by  its  assistance  enabled  me  to  give 
the  Ninth  Symphony  of  Beethoven.  It  also  gave  a 
number  of  choral  works  under  its  own  conductor,  the 
well-known  Carl  Zerrahn.1  The  other  was  the  first 
Cincinnati  Festival,  which  took  place  in  May,  1873. 
On  my  return  from  the  latter,  the  Central  Park 
Garden  Concerts  began,  May  14,  continuing  daily 
until  September  23,  when  they  closed  with  a  Bee- 
thoven-Wagner programme. 

An  agitation  was  now  started  in  New  York  for  a 
hall,  suitable  for  our  concerts,  for  both  the  summer 
and  winter  seasons,  and  this  prospect  of  a  home  for 
my  orchestra  encouraged  us  to  announce  our  next 
travelling  season  as  "the  last."  I  little  thought  that 
my  last  season  of  travelling  was  still  thirty  years  in  the 
future!  We  began  the  tour  in  Troy  in  September, 

1  This  Festival  began  April  22  and  closed  April  26.  The 
soloists  were  Mrs.  J.  H.  West  and  Mrs.  H.  M.  Smith,  sopranos; 
Miss  Annie  Louise  Gary,  alto;  Mr.  Nelson  Varley,  tenor;  Mr. 
Myron  W.  Whitney  and  Mr.  J.  F.  Rudolphsen,  bassos.  The 
instrumentalists  were  Rubinstein,  Mills,  and  Mason,  pianists; 
Wieniawski,  violinist;  B.  J.  Lang,  organist.  Mr.  Zerrahn 
led  his  own  society  and  Mr.  Thomas  conducted  the  remainder 
of  the  works.  The  principal  works  performed  were  "Israel 
in  Egypt,"  Handel;  "Hymn  of  Praise,"  Mendelssohn;  "Eli- 
jah," Mendelssohn;  Concerto  in  D  minor  for  three  pianos  and 
string  orchestra,  Bach;  "Im  Walde"  Symphony,  Raff;  Suite, 
No.  3,  in  D,  Bach;  "Unfinished"  Symphony,  Schubert;  and 
Ninth  Symphony,  Beethoven. — EDR. 


LUIGI    ARDITI 


LIFE  WORK  65 

and  took  our  usual  route,  going  westward  as  far  as 
Chicago,  returning  through  the  more  Southern  cities, 
and  getting  back  in  time  for  the  first  Philharmonic 
Concert  in  Brooklyn.  Both  the  Brooklyn  Philhar- 
monic and  my  New  York  Symphony  Concerts  were 
successful,  but  nevertheless  the  travelling  had  to  be 
continued  to  fill  out  the  rest  of  the  time  of  the  orches- 
tra, for  I  had  no  subsidy  from  others  to  help  to  meet 
the  expenses  of  the  organization,  but  was  personally 
responsible  for  the  salaries  of  my  musicians,  and  my 
only  source  of  income  was  the  box-office. 

In  1874  and  1875  the  conditions  of  the  previous 
year  remained  unchanged.  The  usual  Summer 
Night  Concerts  were  given,  and,  as  the  prospect  of  a 
hall  had  evaporated,  the  travelling  had  to  be  con- 
tinued. The  only  difference  was  in  the  programmes, 
which  became  better  and  better,  and  in  the  public, 
which  began  to  show  more  appreciation.  An  audi- 
ence had  been  obtained  with  a  taste  for  intellectual 
music,  and  a  fair  artistic  standard  had  been  reached 
all  over  the  country.  Boston  and  its  surrounding 
towns  and  cities  continued  to  remain  loyal,  and 
Philadelphia,  Baltimore,  and  Washington  likewise 
gave  their  support  to  our  organization,  but  the  neces- 
sity of  returning  constantly  to  New  York  for  the 
public  rehearsals  and  concerts  of  the  New  York  and 
Brooklyn  Philharmonic  Societies,  and  of  my  own 
Symphony  Series  of  concerts,  prevented  us  from 
making  extended  tours,  and  was,  also,  because  of  our 
large  troupe,  so  expensive  that  I  found  myself,  in 
1876,  again  in  the  same  position  as  in  1869,  with  only 


66  THEODORE  THOMAS 

this  difference  —  that  at  that  time  I  had  to  travel  to 
obtain  a  first-rank  orchestra;  now  I  had  to  do  it  to 
maintain  one. 

The  Summer  Night  Concerts  at  Central  Park 
Garden  had  been  given  for  seven  years,  every  night, 
from  May  until  October,  with  varied  success.  Mu- 
sically these  concerts  exerted  a  greater  educational 
influence  than  any  institution  in  America;  for  the 
first  time,  the  people  enjoyed  a  good  orchestra  and 
good  music.  Their  popularity,  of  course,  induced 
others  to  try  something  similar.  Band  concerts  were 
given  at  more  convenient  locations,  where  talking 
and  encores  could  be  indulged  in  without  restraint, 
and  these  took  away  from  us  the  average  amusement 
seekers,  and  with  them  our  pecuniary  profits. 

Meanwhile,  I  had  been  appointed  musical  director 
of  the  opening  ceremonies  of  the  Philadelphia  Centen- 
nial Celebration,  in  the  spring  of  1876,  and  a  company 
was  also  organized  in  that  city  to  provide  a  suitable 
building  for  Summer  Night  Concerts  during  the 
continuance  of  the  Exposition.  These  concerts 
were  to  be  given  under  the  auspices  of  the  Women's 
Centennial  Committee,  the  president  of  which  was 
Mrs.  E.  D.  Gillespie,  one  of  the  noblest  women 
whose  friendship  I  have  had  the  good  fortune 
to  enjoy.  She  was  as  patriotic  in  art  as  for  her 
country  —  a  true  descendant  of  Benjamin  Franklin. 
The  prospectus  of  these  concerts  sets  forth  the  pro- 
posed scheme,  mainly  as  follows: 

"The  appointment  by  the  Commissioners  of  the 
Centennial  Exposition  of  Theodore  Thomas  as  Di- 


LIFE  WORK  67 

rector  of  Music  for  the  inaugural  ceremonies  of  the 
Exposition,  the  highest  possible  recognition  of  his 
labors  in  the  cause  of  art,  engendered  a  widely  ex- 
pressed desire  that  Mr.  Thomas  should  give  a  series 
of  concerts  in  Philadelphia  during  the  entire  period  of 
the  Exposition,  for  the  purpose  of  illustrating  the 
musical  progress  of  America.  To  carry  out  this  idea 
practically,  the  Women's  Committee,  under  the 
efficient  presidency  of  Mrs.  E.  D.  Gillespie,  and  rep- 
resenting the  wealth  and  culture  of  Philadelphia, 
with  one  accord  united  in  inviting  Theodore  Thomas 
to  give  concerts  in  Philadelphia  during  the  Centennial 
season  of  six  months,  and  offering  to  do  everything  in 
their  power  requisite  for  the  accomplishment  of  the 
object  in  view." 

Notwithstanding  the  efforts  of  Mrs.  Gillespie  and 
her  committees,  the  undertaking  was  a  dismal  failure, 
and  the  orchestra  had  to  be  disbanded  at  the  end  of 
July.  It  proved  then  —  as  it  has  since  —  that  people 
go  to  a  World's  Fair  to  see  and  not  to  hear,  to  be 
amused,  not  to  be  educated.  At  the  end  of  Septem- 
ber, however,  a  successful  series  of  Festival  Concerts 
at  the  Academy  of  Music  in  Philadelphia  was  ar- 
ranged by  Mrs.  Gillespie  and  her  ladies,  which 
brought  my  orchestra  together  again.1 

1  While  the  musical  scheme  for  the  Centennial  Exposition 
was  under  discussion,  the  gentleman  who  had  purchased  the 
mansion  and  grounds  formerly  belonging  to  Edwin  Forrest, 
tendered  them  to  the  Women's  Centennial  Commission.  Mr. 
Thomas  inspected  and  approved  them  and  the  outcome  was 
the  Women's  Centennial  Music  Hall  and  Garden,  which  were 
opened  to  the  public  on  the  evening  of  May  1 1.  A  hall  capable 


68  THEODORE  THOMAS 

On  October  4  the  first  of  a  series  of  concerts  was 
given  in  New  York,  and  the  first  Symphony  Concert 
of  our  tenth  season  took  place  October  26,  with  the 
following  remarkable  programme : 

Beethoven — Symphony  No.  8. 
Schubert — Fantaisie,  for  piano  and  orchestra. 
Berlioz — Dramatic  Symphony,  "Romeo  and  Juliet,"  com- 
plete. 

Some  more  Festival  performances  were  given  in 
Philadelphia,  and  on  November  10,  1876,  the  closing 
ceremonies  of  the  Centennial  Exposition  took  place. 

Concert  tours  now  had  to  be  resumed,  and  as  in 
former  years,  Boston  was  our  first  place  of  refuge. 
In  the  spring  I  continued  travelling  in  the  West,  and 
in  the  summer  of  1877  I  gave  my  first  series  of  Sum- 
mer Night  Concerts  in  Chicago,  beginning  Monday, 
June  1 8,  in  the  old  Exposition  Building,  under  the 

of  accommodating  4,000  persons  had  been  erected  and  the  man- 
sion was  used  as  a  restaurant.  The  programme  of  the  first 
concert  included  Beethoven's  overture,  "  Consecration  of  the 
House" ;  Weber's  "Invitation  to  the  Dance" ;  the  aria,  "In  diesen 
heil'gen  Hallen,"  from  Mozart's  "  Magic  Flute,"  sung  by  Myron 
W.  Whitney;  Liszt's  "Fourteenth  Rhapsody";  Strauss's  "Blue 
Danube  Waltz ";  Schubert's  "Serenade";  overture  toAuber's 
"  Masaniello, "  and  a  repetition  of  the  inaugural  ceremonial 
music,  as  follows:  "Grand  Centennial  Inauguration  March" 
(written  for  the  occasion)  by  Wagner;  J.  K.  Paine's  "Centen- 
nial Hymn";  Dudley  Buck's  Cantata,  "  Centennial  Meditations 
of  Columbia";  and  Handel's  "Hallelujah  Chorus."  Sixty- 
three  Summer  Night  Concerts  were  given,  and  then  ensued  the 
failure  which  Mr.  Thomas  mentions.  The  Festival  concerts, 
ten  in  number,  beginning  September  20  and  closing  November  4, 
were  given  in  the  Academy  of  Music  in  Philadelphia,  and  are 
noteworthy  for  the  splendid  composers'  and  international  pro- 
grammes which  Mr.  Thomas  arranged  for  these  occasions. — EDR. 


LIFE  WORK  69 

management  of  Carpenter  and  Sheldon.  The  build- 
ing in  which  these  concerts  were  given  had  been 
erected  for  exposition  purposes,  and  was  an  immense 
structure,  two  Chicago  blocks  long,  and  proportion- 
ally wide,  and  innocent  of  either  partitions  or  interior 
finish.  One  end  only  was  used  for  concert  purposes, 
and  was  converted  into  a  sort  of  German  garden  by 
evergreen  trees  planted  in  tubs,  and  tables  for  re- 
freshments in  the  rear  part  of  the  building.  Com- 
mon wooden  chairs  were  placed  in  rows  upon  the 
rough  flooring  of  the  front  part  for  seats,  and  the 
passing  of  many  railroad  trains  outside  at  times  com- 
pletely drowned  out  the  music.  In  short,  it  was  the 
last  place  in  the  world  in  which  one  would  have  ex- 
pected orchestral  concerts  to  succeed.  Nevertheless, 
there  was  something  in  the  very  size  and  informality 
of  the  building  which  made  these  concerts  always 
delightful,  notwithstanding  its  unsuitability  for  mu- 
sical purposes,  and  the  programmes,  though  popular 
in  character,  were  always  rilled  with  good  standard 
music,  besides  many  novelties,  and  each  week  we 
gave  one  Symphony  and  one  Composer's  programme. 
The  season,  though  not  very  successful  financially, 
owing  to  a  great  railroad  strike,  which  had  affected 
general  business,  nevertheless  extended  through  fifty 
concerts,  and  gave  promise  for  the  future  which  was 
amply  redeemed  in  many  subsequent  years,  first 
under  the  management  of  Mrs.  Geo.  B.  Carpenter 
and  Mr.  Milward  Adams,  and  later  under  Mr. 
Adams  alone.  At  the  close  of  the  engagement  I 
received  the  following  letter: 


yo  THEODORE  THOMAS 

CHICAGO,  July  27, 1877. 
MR.  THEODORE  THOMAS, 

DEAR  SIR: — We  believe  it  to  be  the  universal  sentiment  of 
our  citizens  that  in  the  way  of  pleasure  and  musical  instruction 
there  has  been  nothing  in  Chicago  comparable  with  your 
summer  garden  concerts.  We  regret  that  unlocked  for  occur- 
rences have  in  some  degree  broken  the  attendance. 

While  your  efforts  in  every  way  deserved  success,  we  had 
hoped  that  the  result  of  this  season  would  justify  your  return 
next  summer.  In  this  expectation  we  trust  our  people  may 
not  be  disappointed. 

Permit  us  to  request  you  to  name  an  evening  for  a  concert 
when  our  citizens,  by  their  presence,  may  confer  a  compliment 
personal  to  yourself. 

Very  respectfully, 

WIRT  DEXTER,  ROBERT  T.  LINCOLN, 

EDWARD  S.  ISHAM,  HENRY  W.  BISHOP, 

E.'B.  McCAGG,  J.  M.  WALKER, 

HENRY  W.  KING,  N.  H.  FAIRBANK, 

J.  D.  HARVEY,  A.  A.  MUNGER, 

MARSHALL  FIELD,  C.  E.  DUNCAN, 

JOHN  G.  SHORTALL,  CHARLES  D.  HAMILL, 

JAMES  S.  HAMILTON,  and  others. 

I  answered  this  as  follows: 

CHICAGO,  July  28,  1877. 
MR.  WIRT  DEXTER  and  others, 

GENTLEMEN: — In  accepting  the  compliment  extended  to 
me  in  your  letter  of  the  27th,  permit  me  to  say  that  the  cordial 
welcome  I  have  met  with  in  public  and  private,  during  my 
stay  this  summer  has  greatly  attached  me  to  your  city. 

When,  eleven  years  ago,  I  inaugurated  nightly  summer 
concerts  in  New  York,  I  did  it  with  a  view  of  elevating  my 
profession  and  the  public  taste  for  music.  In  a  few  years 
these  concerts  have  become  a  recognized  institution  of  the 
country.  However,  as  my  repertoire  extended,  my  orchestra 


LIFE  WORK  71 

had  to  be  increased  to  meet  the  enlarged  demands  of  modern 
composers.  In  order  to  sustain  so  large  an  organization  I 
was  obliged  to  travel  a  portion  of  the  year,  and  it  was  this 
necessity  which  first  introduced  me  to  the  West.  Still  it  was 
New  York,  Boston  and  Philadelphia  that  enjoyed  the  fruits 
of  all  this  labor,  in  the  shape  of  Symphony  Concerts  which 
could  never  have  reached  the  high  standard  attained,  had  not 
the  whole  country  contributed  to  the  support  of  the  organization. 

After  eleven  consecutive  years  of  Summer  Night  Concerts 
I  have  been  obliged  to  leave  New  York  for  want  of  a  suitable 
hall  in  which  to  give  them.  What  New  York  offered  I  refused, 
and  what  I  wanted  I  could  not  have.  That  metropolis  not 
having  supplied  my  needs,  I  was  induced  to  try  the  West,  and 
I  gladly  confess  I  do  not  regret  the  experiment.  I  find  the 
people  here  open-hearted,  generous,  and  enthusiastic,  and  in 
thanking  them  through  you  for  their  kind  appreciation  of  the 
labor  my  colleagues  and  myself  have  done  here  during  the  last 
few  months,  it  would  give  me  pleasure,  circumstances  per- 
mitting, to  return  here  next  summer. 

The  support  we  have  received  justifies  me  in  saying  that 
Chicago  is  the  only  city  on  the  continent,  next  to  New  York, 
where  there  is  sufficient  musical  culture  to  enable  me  to  give  a 
series  of  fifty  successive  concerts. 

Thanking  you  again  for  your  kindness,  I  will,  with  your 
permission,  name  next  Wednesday,  August  i,  as  the  evening 
most  convenient   for  the  complimentary   concert,1  and  will, 
with  your  consent,  combine  with  it  a  request  programme. 
Very  respectfully  yours, 

THEODORE  THOMAS. 

Summer  Night  Concerts  were  continued  after  the 
close  of  the  Chicago  engagement,  in  St.  Louis  two 
weeks,  Cincinnati  two  weeks,  and  Cleveland  one 

1  The  programme  on  this  occasion  contained  the  Prelude, 
Chorale,  and  Fugue  of  Bach,  adapted  for  orchestra  by  Abert; 
Handel's  concerto  for  string  orchestra,  two  solo  violins  and 


72  THEODORE  THOMAS 

week,  the  summer  season  finally  closing  September 
14,  1877. 

violoncello,  (Messrs.  Jacobsohn,  F.  Hemman,  and  C.  Hemman) ; 
the  andantino  and  March  tempo  from  Spohr's  "Consecration 
of  Tones"  Symphony;  the  Overture,  Scherzo  and  Finale  of 
Schumann;  Liszt's  symphonic  poem,  "Tasso";  Vieuxtemps's 
"Fantaisie  Caprice";  and  ballet  music  to  Wagner's  "Rienzi." 
Mr.  H.  A.  Bischoff  sang  Schubert's  "Erl  King"  and  Lachner's 
"Ueberall  Du"  with  violin  obligate  by  Mr.  C.  Hemman.  It 
was  a  jubilee  week  for  the  summer-nighters.  The  next  evening 
there  was  a  Berlioz,  Liszt,  and  Wagner  programme;  August  3, 
a  request  programme,  the  principal  features  of  which  were 
Haydn's"  Military  Symphony,"  Brahms's"  Hungarian  Dances," 
the  " Pastorale "  from  Bach's  "Christmas  Oratorio,"  and  the 
ballet  music  and  wedding  procession  from  Rubinstein's  "  Fer- 
amors";  and  August  4  the  season  closed  with  programmes 
which  included  all  the  most  successful  features  of  the  summer's 
work. — EDR, 


CHAPTER   VIII 

The  New  York  Philharmonic  Society. — Malicious  Statements 
Corrected. — Elected  Conductor  of  the  New  York  Phil- 
harmonic.— Abandons  Symphony  Concerts  in  New  York 
for  the  Benefit  of  the  Philharmonic  Society. — More  Trav- 
elling.— Third  Cincinnati  Festival. — Summer  Night  Con- 
certs at  Gilmore's  Garden,  Madison  Square.  —  Offers 
from  Europe  Refused. — Leaves  New  York  to  Live  in 
Cincinnati. 

/"TAHE  New  York  Philharmonic  Society  is  the  oldest 
•*•  orchestral  organization  in  America,  and  has  the 
great  merit  that  it  gave  good  music  and  an  opportu- 
nity to  hear  the  great  master-works  when  no  other 
society  did  so.  Its  endeavors  were  always  for  a 
noble  cause  —  for  art.  Many  misstatements  and  per- 
versions of  fact  have  been  made,  some  with  a  sinister 
purpose  and  others  ignorantly,  with  reference  to  the 
history  of  this  society.  It  has  been  charged,  for  in- 
stance, that  it  was  forced  to  elect  me  its  conductor  on 
account  of  my  rivalry,  and  because  I  took  away  its 
best  men  for  my  orchestra.  Except  for  these  untruth- 
ful statements,  I  should  not  have  alluded  to  the  fol- 
lowing facts,  but  I  think  I  owe  it  to  myself  to  give 
them  to  the  public,  and  show  that  the  reverse  was 
the  case. 

My  first  instrumentalists  were  mostly  brought 
over  from  Europe,  and  as  long  as  I  travelled  I  could 
offer  them  the  inducement  of  a  good  engagement. 

73 


74  THEODORE  THOMAS 

I  had  the  pick  of  the  men,  and  had  absolute  control. 
I  could  make  changes  in  my  orchestra  when  I  thought 
it  necessary  without  consulting  any  one.  The  Phil- 
harmonic Society  could  not.  This  was,  of  course,  to 
my  advantage,  but  it  was  also  for  the  benefit  of  the 
public,  for  it  resulted  in  progress.  Previous  to  Carl 
Bergmann's  death,  consultations  had  taken  place  be- 
tween prominent  members  of  the  Philharmonic 
Society  and  myself  for  the  purpose  of  effecting  a 
combination  which  would  enable  me  to  become  its 
conductor.  We  could  not  come  to  an  understanding, 
however,  because  they  desired  me  to  give  up  my 
Symphony  Concerts.  I  refused  to  accept  any  con- 
ditions. In  1876,  Bergmann  died,  and  I  was  ap- 
proached again,  but  as  the  same  conditions  were 
insisted  upon,  I  again  refused.  Leopold  Damrosch 
was  thereupon  elected  conductor,  and  the  season  was 
financially  disastrous.  The  following  year  I  was 
elected  conductor  without  any  conditions,  but  later 
I  voluntarily  showed  my  respect  for  the  society  by 
discontinuing  my  Symphony  Concerts,  against  the 
wishes  and  advice  of  my  personal  friends,  because  I 
thought  it  better  for  the  cause  of  art  that  a  society 
rather  than  an  individual  should  be  in  authority. 
Besides  this,  during  all  the  years  that  I  was  its  con- 
ductor, I  never  drew  the  full  amount  of  salary  to 
which  I  was  entitled  by  my  contract. 

The  Philharmonic  and  Thomas  orchestras  were 
now  united,  and  all  my  principal  men  became  mem- 
bers of  the  society.  The  situation,  however,  only 
grew  more  aggravating  for  me.  The  house  was  sold 


WILLIAM   MASON   AND   THEODORE 
THOMAS,   IN    1855 


LIFE  WORK  75 

out  for  the  Philharmonic  Concerts,  and  in  the  case 
of  my  Symphony  Concerts,  which  were  not  yet  given 
up,  I  had  to  add  a  second  series  of  public  rehearsals, 
to  satisfy  the  demands  of  the  patrons.  The  result  of 
this  was  that  the  intervals  between  the  various  per- 
formances in  New  York  and  Brooklyn  were  too 
short  to  allow  me  to  make  any  extended  tours  with 
my  orchestra.  I  would  not  have  been  sorry  for  this 
had  New  York  and  its  vicinity  yielded  sufficient  en- 
gagements to  support  the  orchestra.  Hence  we  were 
obliged  to  travel  when  we  could,  and  these  "forced 
marches"  meant  great  hardship  for  the  orchestra 
and  myself,  and  left  no  time  at  home  for  rehearsals. 
It  also  involved  great  and  constant  financial  risks  for 
me.  For  instance,  during  the  previous  winter  we 
had  made  a  week's  tour  to  Buffalo  and  return.  A 
storm  came  up  on  the  way  out,  and  we  were  snow- 
bound, with  the  result  that  when  we  returned  to 
New  York  for  the  Symphony  Concert,  we  had  spent 
most  of  the  time  in  the  ordinary  day  cars,  had  given 
but  two  concerts  on  the  trip,  instead  of  six  or  seven, 
and  I  had  become  indebted  for  salaries,  etc.,  about 
three  thousand  dollars.  I  confess  I  felt  that  I  ought 
to  be  relieved  of  this  financial  responsibility.  As 
time  went  on,  I  became  still  more  involved,  and  re- 
covery was  more  and  more  difficult.  The  so-called 
"benefit  concerts"  tendered  to  me  at  the  end  of  the 
seasons  by  prominent  citizens  became  very  irksome. 
Popular  taste  had  developed,  artistic  rendering  had 
become  a  necessity,  and  I  felt  that  the  time  had 
arrived  when  a  permanent  orchestra  ought  to  be 


76  THEODORE  THOMAS 

established  by  the  people,  and  that  New  York  had 
means  enough  to  support  easily  both  the  Philharmonic 
Society,  with  its  six  afternoon  and  evening  concerts, 
and  a  permanent,  subsidized  orchestra. 

There  could  be  no  greater  educational  charity,  in 
an  art  centre  like  New  York  City,  than  to  give  its 
people  one  or  two  weekly  performances  of  orchestral 
master-works  in  music  free,  or  at  low  prices,  following 
the  example  of  the  picture  galleries  and  museums, 
which  are  free  on  certain  days  to  the  public.  Justice 
cannot  be  done  to  the  present  musical  literature, 
either  in  quality  or  quantity,  except  by  a  permanent 
orchestra  which  rehearses  together  constantly.  To 
make  such  an  orchestra  earn  its  own  maintenance  by 
playing  every  night  —  which  means  anywhere  and 
everywhere  —  and  travelling  all  day,  does  not  allow 
time  for  proper  rehearsals,  nor  for  any  high  purpose, 
and  makes  artistic  performance  impossible.  I  saw 
no  way  of  keeping  together  what  I  had  built  up  during 
so  many  years  of  hard  labor. 

When  I  travelled  all  over  the  country  with  about 
sixty  men,  and  returned  to  New  York  only  at  given 
times  for  my  Symphony  Concerts,  rehearsals  would 
go  on  continually  while  travelling,  and  portions  of  the 
New  York  programmes  would  be  given  in  our  con- 
certs. Then,  on  my  return  to  New  York,  I  would 
rehearse  with  the  twenty  or  thirty  string  players  who 
strengthened  the  orchestra  for  the  New  York  per- 
formance, separately,  and  previous  to  uniting  the 
forces.  In  this  way  New  York  City  had  the  ben- 
efit of  an  organization  which  the  country  at  large 


LIFE  WORK  77 

supported,  and  which  the  hardships  of  incessant 
travelling  and  playing  every  night  in  a  different  city 
made  possible.  I  could  not  have  carried  this  on  for 
so  many  years  without  the  aid  of  my  friend,"  Jacob 
Gosche,  who  looked  after  the  business  side  and  sac- 
rificed himself  —  and  me  also  —  for  the  cause. 

The  season  of  1877-78  ended  May  21,  with  the 
third  Cincinnati  Festival,  and  a  series  of  concerts  in 
Cleveland,  and  on  Saturday,  May  25,  we  began  the 
Summer  Night  Concerts  in  the  Gilmore  Garden, 
Madison  Square,  New  York  City.  The  Cincinnati 
Festival  had  been  a  tremendous  success,  both  artis- 
tically and  financially,  and  its  citizens  were  ready 
for  higher  musical  efforts.  During  the  summer  the 
Cincinnati  possibilities  were  discussed  with  some  of 
its  leading  men,  whom  I  saw  in  New  York,  and  I 
began  to  look  around  for  another  centre  large  enough 
to  support  an  orchestra.  I  refused  to  leave  this 
country  and  go  to  Europe,  which  had  made  me  some 
offers.  I  knew  this  field,  saw  my  opportunities,  and 
preferred  to  grow  up  with  this  country.  So  I  ac- 
cepted an  engagement  in  Cincinnati. 

The  Summer  Night  Concerts  in  Gilmore's  Garden 
were  continued  daily  until  the  end  of  September,  and 
after  another  of  those  well-meant  but  irksome  "ben- 
efit concerts,"  I  left  New  York  for  Cincinnati,  Octo- 
ber 3,  1878,  with  many  regrets  expressed  by  my  pro- 
fessional friends,  my  orchestra,  and  the  Philharmonic 
Society. 


CHAPTER   IX 

Cincinnati  in  1869. — Founding  of  the  Cincinnati  Festival 
Association. — Director  of  the  Cincinnati  Festivals. — Musi- 
cal Director  of  the  College  of  Music. — Disagreement  with 
its  President. — Resignation  from  the  College. — The  Cin- 
cinnati Festivals  and  their  Board  of  Directors. — The 
Chorus. — Arthur  Mees's  and  Edwin  W.  Glover's  Services. — 
The  Festival  Orchestra. — Return  to  New  York  in  1880. 

/CINCINNATI,  one  of  the  oldest  settlements  in 
\*  the  West,  not  only  possesses  wealth  and  cul- 
ture, but  it  also  has  sincere  and  capable  musicians, 
who  by  their  influence  as  teachers  developed  a 
genuine  love  and  understanding  of  music  in  that 
community.  About  one-fourth  of  its  population, 
thirty-five  years  ago,  was  German,  or  of  German 
descent,  and  while  I,  for  one,  do  not  believe  that  the 
German  in  America  is  necessarily  musical,  he  never- 
theless has  a  high  respect  for  art.  For  many  years 
music  has  been  a  large  part  of  the  daily  life  of  the  Cin- 
cinnati people,  and  the  city  at  that  time  ranked  second 
only  to  New  York,  Boston,  or  Philadelphia,  in  musical 
achievement.  When  I  made  my  first  visit  to  Cin- 
cinnati with  my  orchestra,  in  1869,  even  at  that  early 
time  I  found  excellent  choral  societies  there,  and  an 
orchestra  superior  to  that  of  any  city  west  of  New 
York.  On  my  next  visit,  in  1871,  a  young  married 
lady,  who  was  a  member  of  one  of  the  leading  fami- 
lies of  the  city,  laid  before  me  a  plan  for  a  large 

78 


LIFE  WORK  79 

Musical  Festival.  She  proposed  that  I  should  be 
the  conductor  of  it,  saying  that  if  I  would  be  re- 
sponsible for  the  artistic  side,  she  would  find  the  men 
who  would  take  charge  of  the  business  details.  I 
soon  found  out  that  this  lady  was  not  only  very  tal- 
ented herself  in  many  ways,  but  that  her  taste  was 
not  amateurish  in  anything,  and  I  readily  consented 
to  undertake  the  work  she  wished  me  to  do.  Some 
of  the  programmes  were  sketched  at  her  house,  and 
the  Festival  took  place,  as  planned,  in  May,  1873, 
and  was  a  great  success.  Its  directors  decided  to 
give  a  second  of  similar  scope  in  1875. 

The  programmes  of  the  second  Festival  show  at 
once  a  high  standard  for  the  evening  performances  — 
in  fact,  fully  up  to  that  of  the  present  day  —  while 
those  for  the  afternoon  concerts  correctly  reflect  the 
standard  and  taste  of  that  time. 

For  the  third  Festival,  which  took  place  in  1878,* 

1  The  third  Festival  was  one  of  the  most  memorable  in  the 
whole  series,  for,  during  that  week  in  May  (1878),  the  new  hall 
and  the  great  organ  were  dedicated,  the  programmes  were  in 
keeping  with  the  dignity  of  the  occasion,  and  the  financial 
result  was  unprecedented.  Mme.  Eugenie  Pappenheim,  Mrs. 
E.  Aline  Osgood,  Miss  Annie  Louise  Gary,  Miss  Emma  Cranch, 
and  Messrs.  Adams,  Fritsch,  Whitney,  and  Remmertz  were  the 
soloists,  and  Mr.  George  E.  Whitney  was  the  organist.  For 
this  occasion  Mr.  Thomas  had  an  orchestra  of  106  men  and  a 
chorus  of  700.  The  principal  works  performed  were  scenes 
from  Gluck's  "Alceste,"  Mr.  Otto  Singer's  "Festival  Ode," 
Handel's  "  Messiah,"  selections  from  Wagner's  "  Gotterdam- 
merung,"  Liszt's  "Missa  Solennis,"  Beethoven's  "Eroica" 
and  Ninth  Symphonies,  and  Berlioz's  "Romeo  and  Juliet" 
symphony.  The  financial  showing  was  most  gratifying. 
The  receipts  were  $72,000  and  after  all  expenses  were  settled 
the  association  found  itself  with  $32,000  in  its  treasury,  which 


So  THEODORE  THOMAS 

a  large  and  handsome  building  was  erected,  which  is 
unlike  any  structure  devoted  to  festival  uses  in  Amer- 
ica. It  was  the  direct  outcome  of  the  Festivals,  and 
built  only  for  festival  purposes. 

A  school  of  music  had  already  been  established 
there  in  the  same  year,  known  as  the  Cincinnati 
College  of  Music,  the  musical  directorship  of  which 
was  offered  to  me.  This  was  the  situation  as  I  found 
'it  in  1878,  and  it  was  the  high  expectations  raised 
by  the  possibilites  of  the  school  and  the  Festivals 
that  induced  me  to  try  my  fortunes  in  that  Western 
city. 

The  Festivals  always  maintained  the  high  stan- 
dard which  characterized  their  inauguration,  but  un- 
fortunately this  was  not  the  case  with  the  school. 
Two  fundamental  conditions  which  are  necessary 
for  a  successful  school  of  music  were  not  recognized 
by  its  leading  official  —  first,  talent  in  its  pupils,  and 
second,  a  musical  course  of  sufficient  duration  for 
their  education.  Instead  of  this,  the  spirit  which 
governed  the  institution  was  financial.  It  was  in- 
sisted that  "it  must  pay,"  and  all  kinds  of  pupils 
were  accepted,  for  any  desired  period  of  study,  so 
that  no  high  standard  of  scholarship  was  possible. 
Of  course,  under  these  circumstances  my  connection 
with  the  school  was  short,  for  it  was  impossible  for 
me  to  work  in  harmony  with  the  president  and  guid- 
ing spirit  of  the  institution.  In  the  spring  of  the 
second  year  I  made  conditions  which  brought  mat- 
placed  it  upon  a  secure  financial  footing.  Its  future  was 
assured. — EDR. 


LIFE  WORK  8 1 

ters  to  a  crisis,  resulting  in  my  resignation.  The 
directors  of  the  school  made  a  statement  to  the  public, 
trying  to  explain  from  their  point  of  view  the  reasons 
for  all  this  trouble.  I  do  not  know  whether  they 
succeeded  or  not,  for  I  did  not  care  to  read  it.  After 
my  retirement  from  the  directorship,  the  school  went 
on,  although  I  understand  that  it  has  passed  through 
many  vicissitudes,  and  many  changes  have  taken 
place  in  its  government.  So  much  for  the  school. 

My  experience  with  the  Festival  Association  was 
very  different,  and  my  relations  with  the  gentlemen 
who  were  responsible  and  active  in  giving  these  Fes- 
tivals —  with  the  exception  of  the  first  President  of  the 
Board,  who  was  also  the  president  of  the  school  be- 
fore alluded  to  —  have  been  of  the  most  pleasant  and 
harmonious  character  during  the  thirty-one  years  we 
have  worked  together.  Some  of  these  gentlemen 
have,  of  course,  a  better  understanding  of  music 
than  others,  but  all  have  an  appreciation  of  high 
aims,  and  all  love  their  city.  So  long  as  a  community 
has  men  like  these  to  foster  and  promote  its  interests, 
it  need  have  no  concern  about  its  future. 

It  is  not  my  province  to  write  the  history  of  the 
Cincinnati  Festivals,  and,  besides,  I  have  always 
been  too  closely  identified  with  them  for  that.  But 
the  work  of  the  association  has  been  too  imporant  to 
be  passed  by  without  mention.  I  will  also  take  this 
opportunity  to  express  my  opinion  on  some  points  in 
which  improvement  and  progress  are  desirable,  and  to 
show  some  of  the  disadvantages  under  which  the  Fes- 
tivals have  been  carried  on  for  more  than  thirty  years 


82  THEODORE  THOMAS 

With  a  single  exception  the  Cincinnati  Festivals 
have  been  given  biennially  from  1873  to  the  present 
year,  1904.  A  comparison  of  our  programmes  with 
those  of  similar  festivals  in  Europe  would  be  in  our 
favor,  and  the  fact  of  rehearsing  the  world's  master- 
works  for  so  many  years  would  alone  stamp  Cincin- 
nati as  a  musical  community.  The  chorus  was  com- 
posed of  local  singers,  and  the  programme  book  of 
1904  states  that  since  its  inception  it  has  included 
more  than  ten  thousand  persons. 

Here  we  note  at  once  the  first  deficiency  in  the 
organization,  and  one  which  is  characteristic  of 
America;  for  while  a  constant  change  in  the  per- 
sonnel of  the  chorus  may  be  an  advantage  to  the 
community,  it  is  not  so  to  the  association,  for  it  pre- 
vents the  chorus  from  having  a  repertoire,  and  con- 
sequently at  every  Festival  the  old  works  require  as 
much  time  for  preparation  as  the  new,  instead  of 
requiring  only  to  be  re-polished,  as  would  be  the  case 
if  they  were  in  the  repertoire  of  the  chorus.  The 
percentage  of  members  who  remain  for  a  number  of 
years  in  the  organization,  and  those  who  are  changing 
constantly  I  do  not  know,  but  I  believe  the  time  has 
come  when  the  same  system  can  be  carried  out  with 
the  chorus  as  has  already  been  done  with  the  orches- 
tra, and  a  higher  standard  can  be  reached  with  a 
smaller  body  of  singers. 

Another  difficulty  has  been  the  lack  of  a  suitable 
hall  in  which  the  chorus  rehearsals  could  be  held. 
A  rehearsal  hall  for  chorus  work  should  not  be  too 
small,  nor  should  it  have  too  much  vibration,  for  the 


THEODORE   THOMAS   IN    1857 


LIFE  WORK  83 

singers  must  be  able  to  hear  all  the  other  parts  easily, 
and  learn  that  the  blending  of  voices  is  the  same  as 
the  blending  of  colors.  Shouting  is  not  singing,  and 
without  shading  expression  is  impossible.  In  1880 
I  was  able,  owing  to  my  residence  in  Cincinnati,  to 
superintend  the  work  of  the  chorus  and  rehearse  with 
it  a  great  deal.  I  treated  its  members  like  intelligent 
beings,  taught  them  to  think,  and  compelled  them  to 
distinguish  the  intervals  mentally  instead  of  merely 
singing  "by  ear."  As  a  result,  such  rapid  progress 
was  made  that  the  chorus  of  that  year  was  pronounced 
by  the  Eastern  musicians  who  attended  the  Festival 
the  best  in  the  country. 

When  I  left  Cincinnati  I  placed  the  chorus  under 
the  direction  of  Mr.  Arthur  Mees,  who  had  been  my 
accompanist,  and  who  conscientiously  continued  the 
work  and  further  developed  the  chorus  as  long  as  he 
remained  in  that  city.  After  his  departure  it  de- 
teriorated, owing  to  several  causes,  the  principal  one 
of  which  I  will  mention.  Amateur  musicians,  of 
whom  American  choruses  are,  of  course,  always  com- 
posed, need  encouragement,  and  their  work  is  good 
only  when  their  enthusiasm  is  aroused.  But,  in- 
stead of  encouragement,  a  singular  hostility  was 
shown  toward  our  chorus  by  the  daily  press  of  Cin- 
cinnati. To  such  an  extent  was  this  carried,  that 
the  confidence  of  our  singers  was  destroyed,  and,  in- 
deed, at  one  time  it  was  even  quite  heroic  for  one  to 
be  a  member  of  the  Festival  Chorus.  The  reason  for 
this  antagonism  was  probably  that  it  gave  more 
satisfaction  to  a  few  musical  reporters  to  create  a 


84  THEODORE  THOMAS 

sensation  in  the  community  than  to  help  a  noble 
cause  or  advance  art.  Knowing  the  effect  these  ad- 
verse press  notices  had  upon  the  chorus,  I  used  to  ask, 
after  a  performance,  "How  is  the  press?"  The 
answer  was  always,  "The  same."  Owing  to  this 
cause,  as  I  have  said,  the  chorus  lacked  confidence, 
and  the  slightest  untoward  event  during  a  perfor- 
mance would  create  confusion.  So  we  had  our  *  'ups 
and  downs,"  but  notwithstanding  this  drawback, 
good  performances  were  given,  and  some  were  even 
memorable. 

In  1898  Mr.  Edwin  W.  Glover,  a  former  member 
of  the  chorus,  became  its  director,  and  since  then  it 
has  not  only  regained  its  former  standard,  but  even 
surpassed  all  previous  efforts.  I  cannot  say  too 
much  in  praise  of  the  members  of  the  chorus.  Both 
the  ladies  and  gentlemen  challenge  the  respect  of 
every  music-lover,  for  the  loyalty  and  enthusiasm 
they  have  shown  in  making  the  Festivals  a  success, 
and  it  is  a  hopeful  sign  that  great  works,  some  con- 
taining almost  insurmountable  difficulties,  appeal 
more  to  the  chorus  than  those  of  lighter  calibre,  or 
those  written  by  less  intellectual  composers.  Public 
sympathy  and  interest  have  been  regained,  and  a 
more  friendly  attitude  is  manifested  by  the  press,  and 
I  believe  the  Festivals  have  now  such  a  hold  on  the 
people  that  they  will  not  allow  them  to  be  discon- 
tinued. I  trust  that  this  may  prove  to  be  the  case, 
for  while  Festivals  may  not  be  necessary  for  the  ad- 
vancement in  art  of  large  world-centres  —  because 
everything  in  them  is  done  upon  a  large  scale  —  they 


LIFE  WORK  85 

are  of  vital  importance  in  the  smaller  centres,  in 
enabling  them  to  keep  abreast  of  the  times.  This  is 
especially  true  in  the  art  of  music  of  the  present  day. 

The  orchestra  employed  at  the  Cincinnati  Festi- 
vals was,  for  many  years,  composed  of  my  own,  in- 
creased to  Festival  proportions  by  the  addition  of  the 
better  players  of  the  Cincinnati  Orchestra.  But  of 
late  years,  owing  to  the  higher  standard  of  our  choral 
performances,  the  orchestra  and  I  had  to  devote  the 
whole  of  our  time  in  Cincinnati  to  the  rehearsal  of  the 
choral  works,  preparing  those  for  orchestra  alone 
in  Chicago  before  leaving  home,  and  playing  them 
in  the  Festival  without  further  rehearsal.  As  the 
Cincinnati  musicians  could  not,  of  course,  come  to 
Chicago  for  the  rehearsals,  this  naturally  made  it 
impossible  to  engage  them  for  any  but  the  choral 
works.  In  earlier  years  we  could  not  have  secured 
satisfactory  results  without  an  orchestra  of  large 
dimensions,  but  as  the  Chicago  Orchestra  progressed, 
and  its  general  standard  became  higher,  we  were 
able  to  replace  quantity  by  quality,  and  produce  bet- 
ter artistic  results. 

The  soloists  of  the  Festivals  have  always  been 
artists  of  the  highest  distinction  obtainable  in  the 
musical  world.  Nevertheless,  it  was  one  of  the  most 
difficult  problems  to  find  soloists  who  were  familiar 
with  the  great  choral  works  and  could  do  them  jus- 
tice. The  opera  singer  has  not  the  time  to  learn 
them,  and  only  very  few  have  had  the  training  and 
opportunity  necessary  to  know  the  difference  in  style 
between  the  operatic  and  the  concert  stage.  As  for 


86  THEODORE  THOMAS 

taking  part  in  concerted  music,  and  subordinating 
themselves  to  others,  that  would  be  a  new  idea  for 
stars!  Here,  however,  I  must  except  Mme.  Lilli 
Lehmann  and  Mme.  Sembrich,  and  in  former  years 
Miss  Annie  Louise  Gary  and  Mr.  Myron  W.  Whitney. 
In  England  there  is  a  demand  for  choral  works,  and 
consequently  singers  are  trained  for  that  music.  So 
our  best  results  have  been  with  English  singers  — 
who  also  have  an  advantage  in  the  matter  of  language. 
American  singers  are  at  a  great  disadvantage.  Choral 
works  are  not  in  demand  in  this  country,  and  the 
public  taste  does  not  admit  of  their  reaching  the  high 
standard  required  for  this  class  of  music. 

During  the  first  winter  of  my  stay  in  Cincinnati, 
the  Brooklyn  Philharmonic  Society  had  made  ar- 
rangements with  the  directors  of  the  school  which 
permitted  me  to  go  to  Brooklyn  once  a  month  to  con- 
duct the  Philharmonic  Concerts  —  the  school  receiving 
in  return  a  certain  percentage  of  my  fee.  The  second 
winter  the  New  York  Philharmonic  Society  com- 
bined with  the  Brooklyn  in  the  arrangement,  and  the 
latter  even  changed  its  days  to  enable  me  to  conduct 
the  concerts  of  both  societies  on  my  monthly  visits. 
By  the  time  I  had  decided  to  leave  Cincinnati,  both 
societies  had  made  me  offers,  and,  these  being  taken 
as  a  basis,  the  future  again  looked  hopeful  in  New 
York,  and  I  once  more  returned  there  in  the  fall  of 
1880. 


CHAPTER   X 

In  New  York  Again.  —  The  Monster  Festival  of  1882.  — 
Wagner  Performances,  with  Madame,  Mater na. — First 
Chicago  Festival,  1883. — Establishes  Low  Pitch. — Young 
People's  Concerts. — Working  People's  Sunday  Afternoon 
Concerts. — Wagner  Concerts  in  Various  Cities. — Winkel- 
mann  and  Scaria. — Festival  Tour  from  Ocean  to  Ocean, 
Boston  to  San  Francisco. — German  Opera  Proposals. — 
American  Opera. 

AFTER  a  short  vacation  in  Europe,  I  returned  to 
New  York  in  1880.  The  Brooklyn  Philhar- 
monic Society  resumed  concerts  on  its  customary 
days,  Fridays  and  Saturdays,  and  both  the  Brook- 
lyn and  New  York  Societies  began  work  with 
renewed  vigor,  which  was  rewarded  with  financial 
success  for  many  years. 

I  did  not  resume  my  own  Symphony  Concerts  in 
New  York,  preferring  to  throw  all  my  influence  into 
the  scale  of  the  Philharmonic  Society.  The  Philhar- 
monic Orchestra  was  then  composed  of  all  the  best 
players  in  the  city.  It  was  the  largest,  and,  take  it 
for  all  in  all,  the  best  orchestral  organization  this 
country  had  had.  The  men  were  quick  in  response 
to  the  conductor,  and  certainly  developed  a  good 
quality  of  tone.  We  gave  many  concerts,  and  some 
of  them  were  great  performances.  But,  as  in  former 
years,  we  had  to  travel,  and  were  soon  overworked. 
One  sign  of  progress,  however,  was  the  formation  of 

87 


88  THEODORE  THOMAS 

choruses  in  New  York  and  Brooklyn  of  which  I  was 
the  conductor,  and  which  gave  variety  to  our  pro- 
grammes.1 The  work  of  these  choruses  culminated 
in  a  gigantic  musical  Festival,  given  in  the  Seventh 
Regiment  Armory  of  New  York,  May  2-6,  1882. 

1  Immediately  after  his  return  from  Cincinnati,  September 
8,  1880,  Mr.  Thomas  issued  a  prospectus  announcing  his  desire 
"  of  forming  a  chorus  worthy  to  cooperate  with  his  orchestra. 
The  immediate  object  of  this  organization  will  be  the  per- 
formance of  choral  works  in  connection  with  the  Philharmonic 
Society  of  New  York.  The  requirements  necessary  for 
entrance  are  (i)  good  voices  with  ability  to  read  music  of 
moderate  difficulty  fairly  well  at  sight;  and  (2),  regular  and 
punctual  attendance  at  all  rehearsals."  The  result  was  the 
formation  of  the  New  York  Chorus  Society  with  Mr.  Thomas 
as  conductor  and  Hon.  Carl  Schurz  as  president,  which  gave 
regular  seasons  of  concerts  for  five  years.  In  this  connection 
the  following  statement  of  Mr.  Thomas  in  an  interview  will 
be  of  interest: 

"It  has  been  an  old  habit  to  treat  the  chorus  like  a  body 
of  children,  telling  them  simply  to  do  so  and  so,  to  repeat  a 
phrase  as  directed,  as  though  they  were  a  lot  of  bullfinches 
to  whom  a  tune  was  whistled.  What  can  you  expect  ?  Treat 
them  like  bullfinches  and  they  are  little  else  than  a  body  of 
those  musical  imitators  of  airs;  appeal  to  their  intelligence, 
force  them  to  read  their  music,  to  think  it  out,  promptly  correct 
but  intelligently  explain  their  errors,  and  you  have  at  last  a 
thoughtful,  accomplished  body  of  singers  who  comprehend 
what  they  are  undertaking  and  thoroughly  succeed  in  its 
accomplishment.  Treat  them  like  musicians,  and  they  become 
musicians.  It  is  really  ridiculous  how  some  choral  bodies  are 
taught.  Music  should  be  to  the  vocalist  what  painting  is  to 
the  artist.  The  score  should  be  his  brush  and  pigments.  The 
first  should  be  only  the  rough  materials  and  his  intelligence 
should  so  dispose  them  that  the  picture  should  be  the  master- 
piece of  his  own  work  and  imagination,  not  the  single  result  of 
direction  or  accidental  combination  of  colors.  Let  these  vocal 
artists  once  understand  that  you  expect  them  to  think  out  their 
musical  picture  and  they  will  astonish  you  with  the  breadth 
and  truth  of  their  imagination." — EDR. 


LIFE  WORK  89 

For  this  Festival  the  choral  forces  numbered  three 
thousand  singers,  and  included  the  following  eminent 
societies : 

The  New  York  Chorus  Society,  600  singers. 

The  Brooklyn  Philharmonic  Chorus,  600  singers. 

The  Boston  Handel  and  Haydn  Society,  550 
singers. 

The  Philadelphia  Cecilian  Society,  350  singers. 

The  Worcester  County  (Mass.)  Musical  Associa- 
tion, 450  singers. 

The  Baltimore  Oratorio  Association,  550  singers. 

The  Reading  (Pa.)  Choral  Society,  100  singers. 

The  orchestra  numbered  nearly  three  hundred 
players,  and  was  composed  wholly  of  musicians  who 
at  one  time  or  another  had  been  members  of  my  or- 
chestra in  previous  years.  It  was  a  great  reunion, 
and  there  was  much  excitement  and  enthusiasm  dis- 
played at  times.  An  incident  happened  in  one  of  the 
rehearsals  which  has  been  related  in  so  many  ways 
and  usually  so  incorrectly,  that  I  will  correct  it  here. 
In  "Wotan's  Abschied,"  from  "Die  Walkiire,"  a 
passage  for  the  violoncellos  occurs  which  begins  in 
the  bass  clef  and  continues  with  the  tenor  clef. 
'Cellists,  unless  very  familiar  with  the  music,  are  apt 
to  make  a  mistake  and  read  this  passage  in  the  bass 
clef  all  the  way  through.  On  this  occasion  there 
were  thirty-six  'cello  players,  and  the  last  stand  was 
about  eighty  feet  away  from  me.  When  we  came  to 
this  place,  I  heard  the  mistake  in  the  passage,  and 
remembering  how  it  was  written,  suspected  the  cause 
at  once.  I  knew  the  mistake  was  made  at  the  last 


90  THEODORE  THOMAS 

stand  of  the  'cellos,  and  glancing  at  the  players  I  saw 
that  one  of  them  had  his  hand  on  his  instrument  in 
the  position  where  it  would  be  if  he  had  played  in  the 
bass  clef.  I  stepped  quickly  to  the  stand  and  pointed 
out  to  the  man  his  mistake,  and  returning  to  my 
place,  continued  with  the  rehearsal.  This  took  less 
time  than  if  I  had  made  the  correction  from  the  con- 
ductor's desk  at  that  distance,  but  the  orchestra  was 
aghast  that  I  had  been  able  to  single  out  the  man 
who  had  made  the  mistake  from  amongst  so  many 
players.  The  incident  only  illustrates  that  the  con- 
ductor sometimes  hears  with  his  eyes  as  well  as  his 
ears! 

I  had  placed  the  players  on  the  stage  so  as  to  form 
a  triple  orchestra,  similar  to  an  organ  with  three 
manuals,  which  could  be  played  on  either  singly  or 
in  combination,  at  the  pleasure  of  the  conductor.  Of 
course  the  parts  were  all  marked,  and  rehearsals  had 
been  held  accordingly,  but  in  such  an  immense 
auditorium  as  that  in  which  the  Festival  was  given, 
the  difference  in  the  acoustics  when  it  was  empty  and 
when  it  was  full  of  people  was  so  great  that  I  had  to 
be  prepared  for  any  emergency.  I  made  use  of  my 
combinations  with  good  effect  in  the  concerts,  and 
accomplished  some  unusual  shading  by  manipulating 
my  triple  orchestra,  even  in  such  works  as  Mozart's 
'  'Jupiter  Symphony."  Some  of  the  works  given  were 
overpowering,  but  others  again,  such  as  the  Bee- 
thoven Mass,  for  instance,  were  disappointing,  for 
reasons  easy  to  understand.  Neither  the  chorus  nor 
the  orchestra  escaped  encores  entirely.  The  greatest 


LIFE  WORK  91 

and  most  enduring  effect  was  produced  by  the  Wagner 
programme,  especially  the  excerpts  from  "Die  Got- 
terdammerung,"  for  which  Madame  Materna  had 
been  brought  over  from  Vienna.  This  performance 
created  the  greatest  excitement  I  have  ever  witnessed, 
and  made  many  converts  to  the  Wagner  music  dra- 
mas. Considered  from  every  point  of  view,  this 
Festival  was  one  of  those  great  and  unusual  occasions 
which  rarely  occur  twice  in  a  lifetime;  it  will  long 
be  remembered  in  the  musical  annals  of  New  York.1 

*The  New  York  Festival  of  1882,  like  the  Festival  in  Chicago 
given  the  same  year,  was  the  outcome  of  the  Cincinnati  Festival. 
In  an  interview  at  that  time  Mr.  Thomas  said:  "The  matter 
of  a  great  musical  Festival  under  my  direction  was  broached 
to  me  by  a  number  of  gentlemen  who  were  present  at  the 
Cincinnati  Biennial  Festival  and  they  were  desirous  to  have 
similar  musical  efforts  undertaken  here."  The  promoters, 
163  of  the  leading  citizens  of  New  York  and  Brooklyn,  organ- 
ized under  the  name  of  the  "Musical  Festival  Association," 
with  Mr.  Thomas  for  conductor  and  the  following  officers: 
President,  George  William  Curtis;  Vice-Presidents,  Cyrus  W. 
Field  and  Henry  G.  Marquand;  Secretary,  Daniel  Lord,  Jr.; 
Treasurer,  Joseph  W.  Drexel.  The  Festival  was  given  May 
2-6,  and  included  four  evening  and  three  afternoon  concerts. 
The  list  of  solo  artists  was  an  imposing  one:  Sopranos,  Frau 
Materna,  Mrs.  E.  Aline  Osgood,  Miss  Hattie  Schell,  Miss 
Amalia  Wurmb  and  Mme.  Etelka  Gerster;  contraltos,  Miss 
Annie  Louise  Gary,  Miss  Emily  Winant,  Miss  Antonia  Henne ; 
tenors,  Italo  Campanini,  William  J.  Candidus,  Theodore  J. 
Toedt;  bassos,  A.  F.  Galassi,  George.  Henschel,  Franz  Rem- 
mertz,  Oscar  Steins,  and  Myron  W.  Whitney;  organist,  Dudley 
Buck.  The  principal  vocal  works  performed  were  Bach's 
cantata,  "A  Stronghold  Sure,"  Handel's  "Utrecht  Jubilate," 
Beethoven's  "Missa  Solennis"  in  D  major,  Handel's  "Israel 
in  Egypt,"  Berlioz's  "Fall  of  Troy"  and  selections  from 
Wagner's  "Nibelung  Trilogy";  instrumental,  Mozart's  sym- 
phony in  C  major  (Kochel,  551),  Schubert's  symphony  in  C 
major,  No.  9  and  Beethoven's  symphony  in  C  minor,  No.  5, 


92  THEODORE  THOMAS 

During  the  same  month  of  May,  1882,  the  fourth 
Cincinnati  Festival,  as  well  as  the  first  of  the  Chicago 
Festivals,  took  place,  in  a  style  commensurate  with 
that  of  New  York.  The  Summer  Night  Concerts 
that  year  began  in  Cleveland,  and  continued  during 
the  customary  five  weeks  in  Chicago,  followed  by 
short  seasons  in  Milwaukee,  St.  Louis,  and  Cincin- 
nati. 

During  the  winter  I  introduced  the  low  pitch  into 
this  country,  a  difficult  but  important  matter  to  accom- 
plish. Two  years  previously  I  had  held  a  consulta- 
tion with  my  orchestra  on  the  subject,  and  had  given 
them  two  years  in  order  that  the  wind  choir  might 
have  time  enough  to  procure  new  instruments  of 
lower  pitch  from  Europe,  and  also  to  allow  the  string 
players  to  prepare  their  instruments  for  the  change. 
On  a  given  date  one  morning  the  low  pitch  became  a 
settled  fact,  and  it  was  at  once  a  success,  in  spite  of 
intrigues  and  coarse  assaults  by  certain  instrument 
makers. 

During  the  winter  of  1883-84,  many  concerts 
were  given  in  New  York  besides  those  of  the  Phil- 
harmonic Society,  among  which  may  be  mentioned 
the  first  series  of  Young  People's  Concerts,  and  also 
a  series  on  Sunday  afternoons  for  the  working  people. 

and  Liszt's  "  Divina  Commedia "  symphony.  It  was  contem- 
plated to  make  the  association  permanent  and  by-laws  were 
printed,  setting  forth  as  its  object:  "  The  promotion  of  musical 
art  by  musical  Festivals,  or  in  such  other  manner  as  it 
shall  determine."  Unforeseen  changes,  however,  in  Mr. 
Thomas's  plans  made  regular  Festivals  in  New  York  im- 
practicable.— EDR. 


ANTON    RUBINSTEIN 


LIFE  WORK  93 

A  tour  through  the  South  also  was  made,  and  sub- 
scription concerts  were  given  in  Boston,  Philadel- 
phia, Jersey  City,  and  Orange. 

In  the  spring  a  Festival  tour  was  made  from  ocean 
to  ocean  1 —  starting  in  New  York  and  continuing  to 
San  Francisco,  and  returning  to  Chicago,  where  it 
ended  in  the  Summer  Night  Season.  The  following 
season,  1884-85,  was  only  a  repetition  of  former 
ones,  but  it  culminated,  in  the  spring,  in  a  series  of 
Wagner  concerts,  managed  by  Charles  E.  Locke, 
and  planned  on  a  very  large  scale.  Besides  Mme. 
Materna,  Herr  Winkelmann  and  Herr  Scaria  were 
brought  over,  which  enabled  me  to  give  all  the 
excerpts  from  Wagner's  operas  that  were  suitable  for 
the  concert  stage.  We  also  had  the  assistance  of  the 
New  York  and  Brooklyn  choruses,  as  well  as  that  of 
the  New  York  Liederkranz,  which  did  admirable 
work  in  the  third  act  of  "Die  Meistersinger."  Our 
orchestra  was  increased  to  one  hundred  and  fifty 
players,  and  in  the  New  York  concerts  the  chorus 
numbered  six  hundred.  After  this  I  gave  similar 
Wagner  concerts  in  all  the  principal  cities,  and  every- 

1  On  the  "  March  to  the  Sea"  sixty-five  concerts  were  given. 
There  were  concerts  at  Baltimore,  Bradford,  Pa.,  Buffalo, 
Erie,  Cleveland,  Columbus,  Louisville,  Memphis,  Nashville, 
Chicago,  St.  Louis,  Kansas  City,  Keokuk,  Cedar  Rapids,  St. 
Paul,  Minneapolis,  Waterloo,  la.,  and  a  week's  Festival  in 
San  Francisco.  Returning,  concerts  were  given  in  Salt  Lake 
City,  Denver,  Topeka,  Leavenworth,  St.  Joseph,  Lincoln, 
Omaha,  Fort  Dodge,  Des  Moines,  Rock  Island,  and  Burling- 
ton'. The  soloists  who  made  the  tour  with  Mr.  Thomas 
were  Mrs.  E.  Humphrey  Allen,  Mrs.  Anne  Hartdegen,  Mrs. 
Belle  Cole,  Frederick  Harvey,  Franz  Remmertz,  and  Julia 
Rive-King,  pianist. — EDR, 


94  THEODORE  THOMAS 

where  they  made  a  deep  impression.1  The  season  of 
German  opera,  which  was  inaugurated  the  following 
year  in  the  Metropolitan  Opera  House,  was  due  to  the 
success  of  these  concerts.  Before  the  organization  of 
the  Metropolitan  Company,  offers  were  made  to  me 
to  take  the  conductorship  of  a  company  which  should 
include  the  famous  Baireuth  singers,  Materna,  Win- 
kelmann,  and  Scaria,  in  the  leading  roles,  and  give 
the  Wagner  music-dramas  for  the  first  time  in  Amer- 
ica. At  first  I  refused,  as  the  promoters  of  the  pro- 
ject wished  to  put  it  into  effect  immediately.  After 
consultation,  however,  they  agreed  to  my  conditions, 
and  I  consented.  These  conditions  were  that  the 
plan  should  not  be  carried  out  until  1885-86,  and 
that  I  should  spend  the  intermediate  year  in  Europe, 
studying  and  familiarizing  myself  with  the  German 
opera,  and  especially  with  the  Wagner  music-dramas 
as  given  in  Germany.  The  three  singers  also  agreed 
to  this  arrangement,  and  Winkelmann  and  Scaria 
kept  faith  with  us  in  the  matter.  Materna  did  not. 
She  accepted  an  engagement  with  the  Metropolitan 
Opera  Company,  which  was  formed  the  next  season, 
and  our  enterprise,  consequently,  was  abandoned. 

Meanwhile,  I  had  spent  the  summer  in  Germany 
with  my  family,  and  I  returned  to  New  York  as 


Wagner  Festival  tour  began  the  first  week  in  April, 
1884,  and  ended  in  Montreal,  June  28.  The  sixth  biennial 
festival  in  Cincinnati,  May  20-24,  was  Paft  of  the  scheme. 
In  addition  to  the  Vienna  artists  mentioned  by  Mr.  Thomas, 
Christine  Nilsson,  Emma  Juch,  Emil  Winant,  Theodore 
Toedt,  and  Fanny  Remmertz  sang  in  many  of  the  concerts, 
which  numbered  seventy  in  all.  —  EDR. 


LIFE  WORK  95 

usual  in  the  fall  for  the  customary  Philharmonic 
Concerts,  and  incessant  travelling.  The  New  York 
Chorus  was  disbanded  in  1886,  because  the  travelling 
and  orchestral  duties  did  not  allow  me  the  necessary 
time  for  chorus  rehearsals. 

During  this  season  a  company  was  formed  to  give 
grand  opera  in  English,  called  the  American  Opera 
Company,  and  it  aroused  such  popular  interest  that 
under  ordinary  circumstances  it  would  have  been 
successful.  The  conductorship  was  offered  to  me, 
and  I  accepted  it,  for  I  believed  in  the  idea,  and  I 
knew  it  would  also  give  my  orchestra  a  permanent 
engagement,  and  relieve  me  from  the  responsibility 
of  paying  salaries.  My  hopes,  however,  were  doomed 
to  disappointment,  for  it  soon  became  evident  that 
there  were  peculiarities  of  management  which  neither 
art  nor  business  could  long  endure.  Financially  the 
case  was  soon  hopeless,  and  the  only  question  left  for 
me  was  how  to  get  out  of  the  toils  in  which  I  had  been 
cunningly  ensnared.  The  management  refused  to 
allow  the  much-abused  and  at  last  fatally  stricken 
organization  to  die  a  natural  death  or  have  decent 
burial,  and  so  it  came  about  that  toward  the  close  it 
was  either  a  disgrace  or  a  calamity  to  every  one  con- 
nected with  it.  Even  after  it  finally  was  dead  and 
buried,  its  apparition  haunted  different  cities  all  over 
the  country  for  a  time.  My  official  connection  with 
it  had  been  limited  to  that  of  musical  director.  I  had 
no  business  interest  in  it  whatever,  but  I  was  for 
years  afterwards  involved  in  lawsuits  brought  against 
me  by  its  victims. 


CHAPTER   XI 

The  End  of  the  Thomas  Orchestra,  1888.— Why  I  Left  New 
York. — Founding  of  the  Boston  Symphony  Orchestra  in 
1880. — Founding  of  the  Chicago  Orchestra  in  1901. — 
Accepts  Directorship  of  the  Chicago  Orchestra. — The 
Difficulty  of  Maintaining  a  First-rank  Orchestra  in 
Chicago. — Henry  L.  Higginson  and  his  Influence. — Chi- 
cago Raises  an  Endowment  Fund  for  the  Orchestra  by 
Popular  Subscription. — The  Building  of  a  Home  for  the 
Orchestra  in  1904. — The  Work  of  the  Chicago  Board  of 
Directors. — Coda. 

A  FTER  my  disastrous  experiences  with  the  Amer- 
•**•  ican  Opera  Company  came  to  an  end,  in  1888, 
I  found  myself  in  a  very  discouraging  position, 
for  I  was  no  nearer  to  the  permanent  orchestra  for 
which  I  had  worked  so  long  than  I  was  in  1878,  when 
I  left  New  York  for  Cincinnati.  Nor  was  there  any 
prospect  of  a  change  in  the  situation.  To  maintain 
my  orchestra  I  must  continue  to  follow  in  the  same 
weary  and  unsatisfactory  round  of  travelling  and 
overwork,  which  precluded  progress.  The  only 
other  alternative  was  to  disband  the  orchestra  and 
retire  from  the  field.  I  had  now  been  travelling  with 
my  orchestra  almost  continuously  for  twenty  years, 
and  the  situation,  instead  of  being  better,  was  even 
worse  for  us  than  at  the  start,  because  all  these  years 
of  educational  work  were  beginning  to  bear  their 
legitimate  fruit.  The  people  all  over  the  country 

96 


LIFE  WORK  97 

were  acquiring  a  taste  for  orchestral  music,  but  were 
not  yet  sufficiently  cultivated  to  be  very  discrimina- 
tive, and  this  opened  a  field  for  inferior  orchestras 
and  military  bands.  As  they  interfered  with  our 
pecuniary  success,  I  preferred  to  stop.  At  the  close 
of  our  Summer  Night  Season  in  Chicago  in  1888,  I 
made  the  following  address  to  my  orchestra  at  our 
last  rehearsal : 

Gentlemen: — The  time  has  come  to  communicate  to  you 
what  I  can  offer  for  next  season.  This,  however,  is  more  easily 
said  than  done  owing  to  the  peculiar  circumstances  in  which 
affairs  in  New  York  have  placed  me.  I  pray  you,  therefore, 
to  listen  attentively  in  order  that  you  may  understand  and 
appreciate  them. 

You  will  remember  that  last  spring,  after  the  close  of  our 
winter  season,  I  said  to  you  our  future  prospects  were  encour- 
aging. What  caused  me  to  believe  this  was,  first  that  the 
building  of  a  large  and  well-appointed  music  hall  in  New  York 
seemed  assured.  I  was  shown  the  detailed  plans  and  under- 
stood from  the  architect  and  other  interested  persons  that  its 
construction  would  begin  May  i,  and  consequently  that  it 
would  be  in  readiness  for  our  concerts  next  winter.  But  for 
these  assurances  I  should  have  told  you  then  that  our  prospects 
were  bad  and  that  we  had  better  stop.  In  the  second  place, 
my  friends  gave  me  the  assurance  that  they  would  raise  a 
guarantee  fund  which  would  guard  us  against  losses  and  insure 
our  position  during  the  winter  months  in  New  York.  Thus 
encouraged  I  looked  at  a  theatre  (the  Broadway),  which  was 
suitable  for  matinees,  and  hoped  to  get  through  without  serious 
loss  until  the  hall  was  built.  So  far  as  the  hall  is  concerned, 
however,  I  only  know  that  it  was  not  begun  May  i,  and  that 
there  are  no  signs  any  hall  will  be  built,  so  we  are  left  without 
one.  So  far  as  the  guarantee  fund  is  concerned,  it  is  in  better 
shape  and  has  already  been  started,  but  it  is  accompanied  by 


98  THEODORE  THOMAS 

the  condition  that  our  concerts  shall  be  given  in  some  place  up- 
town more  favorably  located  than  that  to  which  we  have  been 
accustomed.  All  that  is  left  to  us  is  the  theatre,  which,  as  you 
will  see,  would  confine  us  to  matinees.  We  have  no  hall.  Even 
if  we  should  take  the  Metropolitan  Opera  House  it  is  question- 
able whether  we  could  make  dates  that  would  be  advantageous 
to  us.  From  a  business  point  of  view  I  should  have  no  fears 
of  non-success,  but  for  regular  concerts  we  should  have  to  have 
an  orchestra  of  eighty  or  ninety  men  and  give  our  concerts 
with  a  single  rehearsal.  Such  concerts  are  not  desirable  and 
can  lead  to  no  good  results. 

•  To  retain  a  permanent  organization  there  is  apparently 
only  one  thing  we  can  do,  and  that  is  to  travel  during  the  whole 
year.  You,  however,  would  not  be  willing,  even  if  I  were,  to 
lead  such  a  life,  which  is  wearisome  and  not  conducive  to  the 
retention  of  a  high  musical  standard.  So  long,  therefore,  as  New 
York  gives  us  no  hold  upon  success  in  the  shape  of  a  hall  and 
declines  to  build  one  where  the  public  can  be  pleasantly  and 
conveniently  accommodated,  a  permanent  orchestra  seems  to 
me  impossible. 

It  was  only  last  week  that  I  wrote  the  committee  of 
the  guarantee  fund  that  I  could  not  say  whether  we  would 
give  matinees  or  not,  as  that  would  depend  upon  the  orchestra 
at  my  disposal.  I  can  tell  you  this:  that  I  have  been  requested 
to  give  winter  concerts  in  Chicago,  and  that  offers  have  been 
made  to  guarantee  them,  but  the  number  of  concerts  would 
depend  upon  those  we  could  give  in  other  cities,  in  one  at 
least  from  New  York  here  and  in  another  on  the  return,  to 
make  it  practicable.  This,  even  if  it  could  be  accomplished, 
would  take  a  long  time  to  arrange.  I  hope  you  will  under- 
stand, therefore,  that  I  cannot  say  how  much  work  I  can 
promise  you.  It  would  seem  that  there  might  be  several  con- 
certs, but  the  standard  of  such  desultory  work  would  be  doubt- 
ful. It  is  only  lately  that  I  have  been  able  to  come  to  a  decision 
and  to  know  just  what  is  best  and  right  to  do.  It  goes  without 
saying  that  I  cannot  keep  you  or  prevent  you  from  making 


LIFE  WORK  99 

other  engagements,  signing  other  contracts,  or  giving  lessons, 
but  I  shall  expect  that  you  will  notify  me  if  you  make  any 
engagements  that  will  hinder  you  at  any  time  from  appearing 
in  concerts  in  or  out  of  New  York,  and  meanwhile  will  ascer- 
tain as  expeditiously  as  possible  how  many  concerts  will  be 
at  my  disposal. 

The  members  of  the  orchestra  could  not  believe 
that  this  was  the  final  disbanding  of  the  Thomas 
Orchestra,  to  which  many  of  them  had  belonged  for 
years,  and  which  they  all  loved  and  took  pride  in. 
After  our  return  to  New  York,  many  of  them  refused 
to  take  engagements  which  would  prevent  their  re- 
turning to  me,  for  they  thought  that  New  York  would 
not  allow  our  organization  to  be  abandoned  after  so 
many  years  of  service,  but  would  raise  an  endowment 
fund  and  make  it  a  permanent  institution.  New 
York,  however,  was  now  absorbed  in  its  new  operatic 
venture,  and  did  nothing  at  all. 

I  now  ceased  to  make  any  further  effort,  and 
merely  conducted  the  various  series  of  Philharmonic 
Concerts  in  New  York,  Brooklyn,  and  Philadelphia, 
and  some  Popular  Sunday  Night  Concerts.  I  made 
an  occasional  tour  when  I  was  engaged  by  others, 
and  had  no  financial  risk,  but  I  had  no  longer  an 
orchestra,  nor  any  hall  for  rehearsals.  I  simply  en- 
gaged the  men  from  concert  to  concert,  and  for  the 
first  time  in  my  life,  "went  on  my  reputation" — as 
the  saying  is  —  to  make  my  living. 

I  made  a  plain  statement  to  my  friends  and  the 
Philharmonic  Society,  that  I  should  wait  two  years 
to  see  if  any  thing  would  be  done  in  New  York 


ioo  THEODORE  THOMAS 

toward  a  permanent  orchestra,  and  if  nothing  were 
done,  I  should  then  leave.  So  I  waited,  but  beyond 
personal  offers  made  to  me  by  friends,  of  from  three 
thousand  to  ten  thousand  dollars,  nothing  came  of  it. 
These  personal  offers  I  of  course  refused.  I  needed  no 
assistance  for  myself,  as  I  could  always  earn  my  own 
living.  What  I  wished  was  a  large  orchestra,  suf- 
ficiently subsidized  to  enable  it  to  hold  the  rehearsals 
necessary  for  artistic  performances,  its  object  and 
aim  to  be  to  attain  the  highest  artistic  performance 
of  master-works,  and  to  set  a  standard  for  the  whole 
country,  and  give  New  York  one  of  the  greatest 
orchestras  of  the  world.  This  would  have  been 
progress,  and  the  time  was  ripe  for  it. 

In  the  meantime,  Boston  did  what  I  had  worked 
for  in  vain  in  New  York.  A  permanent  orchestra 
had  been  established  there  in  1880,  and  was  expe- 
riencing the  customary  vicissitudes  of  infancy.  En- 
couraged by  its  inspiring  example,  Chicago,  newly 
awakened  to  educational  interests  of  all  kinds,  in 
1890  became  ambitious  to  do  the  same.  What  could 
I  do  then,  when  Chicago  offered  me  the  conductor- 
ship  of  its  projected  orchestra,  but  "go  West,"  like 
Mr.  Greeley's  young  man,  and  make  a  new  start? 
What  New  York  had  denied,  Chicago  provided.  I 
should  add,  however,  that  while  the  maintenance  of 
a  permanent  orchestra  would  have  been  compara- 
tively easy  in  New  York,  it  was  nearly  impossible  in 
Chicago,  for  reasons  some  of  which  I  shall  presently 
enumerate. 

Modern  musical  literature  requires  an  orchestra 


LIFE  WORK  101 

of  about  ninety  men.  I  took  with  me  from  New 
York  an  orchestra  of  sixty,  which  included  only  half 
a  dozen  of  the  members  of  the  old  Thomas  Or- 
chestra, and  completed  the  new  orchestra  by  the 
addition  of  about  thirty  Chicago  men.  The  sixty 
whom  I  brought  with  me  from  New  York  made  a 
complete  travelling  orchestra,  for  we  expected  to 
travel  more  or  less  in  the  vicinity  of  Chicago,  in  order 
to  help  defray  the  expenses  of  the  Association.  The 
result  of  our  concert  tours,  however,  was  very  dis- 
appointing, for  nearly  all  the  towns  and  cities  which 
were  large  enough  to  support  orchestral  concerts 
were  so  far  from  Chicago  that  the  expenses  of  trans- 
portation more  than  consumed  the  profits.  The 
general  public  of  these  places  also  preferred  band 
concerts,  with  double  and  triple  encores,  to  our 
programmes.  So  our  travelling  resulted  in  loss  in- 
stead of  profit,  and  besides,  the  time  required  by 
these  long  journeys  left  us  insufficient  time  at  home 
for  the  rehearsals  of  our  own  concerts. 

In  Chicago  the  conditions  at  that  time  were  very 
unfavorable  to  success.  Thus  difficulties  confronted 
the  Association  on  every  hand.  Chicago  is  a  city  .of 
nearly  two  million  inhabitants,  but  the  great  majority 
of  them  belong  to  the  class  employed  in  mills,  fac- 
tories, and  at  all  kinds  of  manual  labor,  while  the 
cultivated  class  is  comparatively  small.  This  gives 
only  a  limited  field  of  activity  for  a  musician,  and 
offers  him  little  opportunity  to  add  to  his  income  by 
teaching  or  private  engagements.  The  consequence  is 
that  there  is  little  inducement  outside  of  the  orchestra 


102  THEODORE  THOMAS 

for  men  of  the  ability  required  for  a  first-rank 
orchestra  to  settle  there,  and  this  makes  it  very  diffi- 
cult to  procure  them.  The  modern  repertoire  does 
not  permit  any  curtailment  in  the  size  of  the  orchestra, 
and  as  Chicago  could  not  furnish  our  leading  players, 
they  had  to  be  brought  from  other  parts  of  the  world. 
In  many  cases  the  men  thus  imported  were  unused 
to  such  a  rigorous  climate  as  that  of  Chicago,  and 
were  driven  away  again  by  sickness,  and  had  to  be 
replaced. 

Another  obstacle  the  Association  had  to  contend 
against  was  the  lack  of  a  building  suitable  for  orches- 
tral purposes.  The  only  hall  in  which  our  concerts 
could  be  given  was  the  Auditorium  —  an  immense 
theatre,  with  a  seating  capacity  of  four  or  five  thou- 
sand, which  had  been  erected  a  few  years  previously 
for  opera  festivals,  political  conventions,  and  other 
large  popular  gatherings.  The  great  size  of  this 
theatre  called  for  the  largest  possible  orchestra,  but 
even  then  it  was  often  ineffective,  notwithstanding 
the  remarkable  acoustic  properties  of  the  building. 
It  also  contained  so  many  seats  that  people  felt  under 
no  obligation  to  buy  season  tickets  to  our  concerts, 
knowing  full  well  they  could  always  find  good  places 
at  the  box-office  at  the  last  minute,  whenever  they 
desired  to  attend  a  performance.  Thus  our  audience, 
instead  of  being  regular,  fluctuated  from  concert  to 
concert,  according  to  the  weather  or  any  other  dis- 
tracting cause.  Our  season  was  also  interrupted 
several  times  a  year  by  the  other  engagements  for 
which  the  building  was  rented,  such  as  the  opera 


HENRI   WIENIAWSKI 


LIFE  WORK  103 

season,  flower  show,  balls,  and  the  like.  This  had 
the  effect  each  time  of  scattering  our  audience  and 
preventing  people  from  forming  the  habit  of  regular 
attendance,  as  well  as  of  interfering  with  our  re- 
hearsals, while  the  preparations  for  these  events  were 
in  progress.  In  other  ways  the  Auditorium  was  not 
suited  to  our  use. 

A  building  which  is  properly  equipped  for  the 
work  of  a  large  permanent  concert  orchestra  should 
contain,  in  addition  to  its  stage,  audience  chamber, 
and  foyers,  a  large  room  in  which  the  musicians  can 
tune  and  prepare  their  instruments  before  perform- 
ances, and  a  cloak  room  for  the  use  of  the  orchestra. 
It  should  also  have  a  suitable  storage  room  with 
lockers  in  which  the  instruments  can  be  kept  without 
danger  of  injury  from  heat,  cold,  or  dampness,  and 
where  they  will  be  safe  from  handling  by  meddle- 
some or  careless  persons.  It  should  have  a  com- 
modious library,  furnished  with  clean,  closed  cases 
for  storing  the  music,  and  long,  well-lighted  tables  at 
which  copyists  and  librarians  can  bind,  repair,  copy, 
and  sort  it  for  daily  use.  Finally,  it  should  have 
rooms  for  part-rehearsals,  offices  for  the  manager 
and  his  staff,  and  a  private  office  for  the  conductor, 
in  which  he  can  transact  his  business  undisturbed. 
Nearly  all  of  these  conveniences  were  lacking  in  the 
Auditorium,  and  therefore,  while  it  may  have  been 
well  enough  adapted  for  travelling  opera  troupes  and 
the  festivals  and  public  meetings  for  which  it  was 
built,  it  was  very  unsuitable  for  our  purposes. 

A  greater  obstacle  than  any  yet  mentioned,  how- 


104  THEODORE  THOMAS 

ever,  was  the  indifference  of  the  mass  of  the  people 
to  the  higher  forms  of  music.  The  Summer  Night 
Concerts  had  done  valuable  service  by  awakening  a 
general  love  of  music,  but  it  was  chiefly  music  of  a 
lighter  character,  with  symphonies  administered  in 
very  small  doses.  The  people  expected  the  same 
class  of  music  at  the  orchestral  concerts  as  that  to 
which  they  were  accustomed  at  the  Summer  Night 
Concerts,  and  found  much  fault  with  my  programmes, 
which  they  thought  were  too  severe. 

It  was  a  very  discouraging  time  for  us,  for  while 
Wagner  had  to  some  extent  interested  the  people,  he 
had  also  accustomed  them  to  strong  doses  of  excite- 
ment, and  contrast,  and  everything  without  these 
tonic  properties  was  regarded  with  indifference.  In- 
deed, the  announcement  of  a  symphony  was  enough 
to  keep  many  persons  from  going  to  a  concert.  The 
situation  at  last  became  serious;  and  when  it  seemed 
as  if  there  were  no  immediate  relief,  the  example  of 
the  Boston  Orchestra  came  to  our  rescue  and  helped 
me  to  maintain  the  standard  of  our  programmes. 
When  fault  was  found  with  their  severity,  I  would 
say,  '  'Do  you  wish  our  programmes  to  be  inferior  in 
standard  to  those  of  the  Boston  Orchestra  ?  "  '  ;No," 
was  the  answer.  '  'Well,  we  give  every  year  a  num- 
ber of  programmes  without  a  symphony.  The  Bos- 
ton Orchestra  does  not."  That  helped!  I  was  able 
to  keep  up  the  standard  of  my  programmes,  not- 
withstanding all  opposition,  until  finally  the  intelligent 
and  influential  minority  were  ready  to  give  up  their 
musical  trifles  for  broader  forms,  carrying  with  them 


LIFE  WORK  105 

the  rest  of  our  musical  world,  and  at  last  I  risked 
arranging  programmes  for  a  cultivated  audience, 
though  with  many  fears  as  to  the  result.  But  be- 
hold !  it  was  said  that  I  had  never  made  such  good 
programmes!  That  was  true  enough,  but  had  I 
offered  them  a  few  years  previously,  it  would  have 
been  our  ruin.  It  never  occurred  to  our  concert 
goers  that  it  was  they  who  had  progressed. 

The  service  which  Mr.  Henry  L.  Higginson  has 
rendered  to  art  in  this  country  can  hardly  be  fully 
estimated  at  present.  A  man  of  broad  intellectual 
culture,  and  a  lover  of  music,  he  felt  the  need  of  that 
art  in  his  city  which  only  an  orchestra  could  interpret. 
He  also  estimated  its  beneficial  influence  upon 
humanity.  He  was  not  only  a  philanthropist  in  his 
undertaking,  but  also  an  experienced  business  man. 
His  first  step  was  to  secure  a  home  for  his  orchestra 
—  a  suitable  hall,  where  rehearsals  and  concerts 
could  be  held  at  regular  times  without  interference. 
Natural  causes  and  circumstances  soon  led  him  to 
develop  the  organization  he  had  formed  into  a  first- 
rank  orchestra.  His  cultivated  taste  would  not  allow 
him  to  make  concessions  to  the  ignorant,  as  he  knew 
perfectly  well  that  a  first-rank  orchestra  can  be  main- 
tained only  by  preserving  the  highest  standard,  and 
that  the  public  ultimately  would  accept  it.  Other 
cities  soon  had  the  benefit  of  his  generosity,  and  the 
influence  of  his  organization  spread;  for  New  York 
had  now  gone  backwards,  and  the  musical  standard  of 
the  East  was  set  by  the  Boston  Orchestra.  He  came 
at  the  right  time  to  help  every  sincere  conductor 


106  THEODORE  THOMAS 

throughout  the  land,  and  he  certainly  saved  the  ship 
on  which  I  was  sailing,  and  which  carried  symphonies. 
The  influence  of  his  work  insured  the  permanency  of 
the  symphony  orchestras  of  Chicago,  Pittsburg,  and 
Philadelphia. 

The  foregoing  pages  have  set  forth  only  a  few  of 
the  many  difficulties  which  the  Chicago  Orchestral 
Association  encountered  during  the  thirteen  years 
through  which  we  struggled  to  establish  the  institu- 
tion, and  will  give  some  idea  of  the  complex  nature  of 
the  problem,  both  from  the  business  and  the  artistic 
standpoint.  But  although  often  disheartened  and  at 
times  almost  discouraged,  the  men  and  women  who 
had  founded  it  did  not  falter,  but  year  after  year 
personally  paid  its  large  deficit  without  complaint. 
Nor  was  I  ever  asked  by  our  directors  to  lower  its 
artistic  standard  in  order  to  gain  the  patronage  of  the 
multitude.  Some  of  our  guarantors  supported  the 
orchestra  from  love  of  art,  others  from  a  broad  spirit 
of  humanity  which  sought  through  this  agency  to 
establish  an  elevating  influence  in  the  community. 
So  they  carried  the  heavy  financial  burden  of  it  as 
long  as  they  saw  any  hope  that  the  plant  they  were 
protecting  would  take  root  and  live. 

At  last  the  time  arrived,  however,  when  all  agreed 
that  the  institution  must  now  stand  on  its  own  feet, 
or  else  be  abandoned.  It  was  decided  to  test  the 
public  and  find  out  whether  or  not  the  work  had 
really  taken  hold  of  the  community.  A  general 


LIFE  WORK  107 

appeal  was  made  to  every  music  lover  in  Chicago  to 
come  forward  and  do  his  share  in  raising  an  endow- 
ment fund  to  be  invested  in  a  suitable  building  or 
home  for  the  orchestra,  which  would  enable  it  to 
carry  on  its  work  to  advantage  and  serve  as  a  nucleus 
for  the  musical  life  of  the  city. 

It  was  with  many  anxious  doubts  and  fears  that 
this  course  was  finally  adopted.  But  the  result  more 
than  justified  it,  and  there  were  some  unlooked-for 
and  extremely  gratifying  manifestations  of  popular 
interest.  In  less  than  a  year,  more  than  six-sevenths 
of  the  great  fund  of  $750,000  was  given  by  eight 
thousand  subscribers,  of  all  classes,  rich  and  poor.  It 
was  a  wonderful  example  of  the  influence  of 
art  in  a  community.  I  know  of  no  similar  instance 
in  which  so  large  a  sum  has  been  given  absolutely 
without  conditions  by  the  general  public  of  a  city 
for  an  institution  dedicated  to  the  highest  form  of 
musical  art. 

When  I  left  New  York  in  1901,  it  was  prophesied 
that  my  sojourn  in  the  West  would  not  be  longer  than 
it  had  been  when  I  went  to  Cincinnati  in  1878.  But 
we  are  now  in  the  fourteenth  season  of  the  Chicago 
Orchestra.  Its  permanency  is  secure,  its  home  is 
built,  and  the  object  for  which  I  have  worked  all  my 
life  is  accomplished.  The  old  saying,  "Better  late 
than  never,"  comes  to  mind  as  I  see  in  my  seventieth 
year  the  realization  of  the  dreams  of  my  youth.  But 
I  trust  I  may  still  live  long  enough  to  show  my  grati- 
tude to  the  men  and  women  who  have  made  this 


io8  THEODORE  THOMAS 

possible,  and  to  leave  behind  me  a  young  and  vigor- 
ous institution  to  crown  their  achievement  with  a  long 
future. 


[Sad  as  these  last  words  seem  which  he  wrote  so  hope- 
fully, so  thankfully,  so  happily,  it  is  better  they  should  remain, 
that  the  men  and  women  of  all  classes  in  Chicago  who  saved 
his  orchestra  and  gave  it  a  permanent  home  may  know  his 
love  for  them,  his  gratitude  for  their  splendid  achievement, 
and  the  lofty  purposes  he  contemplated  before  he  should  lay 
down  his  baton  and  give  over  the  position  he  held  so  long,  so 
honorably,  so  masterfully,  to  his  successor.  The  dream  of 
more  than  fifty  years  was  at  last  a  reality,  and  he  saw  that  the 
reality  was  all  and  more  than  he  had  hoped  for,  and  he  knew 
that  his  reward  had  come  from  the  grateful  hearts  of  the  people. 
He  lived  to  consecrate  the  house,  to  direct  the  immortal 
harmony  of  the  symphony  which  he  greatly  loved,  and  then 
the  Master  of  Music  passed  from  our  sight.  His  fame  was 
secure,  his  work  was  finished,  and  "  the  end  crowns  the  work." 
— EDR.] 


THE 
LAST   DAYS   OF   THEODORE   THOMAS 

[The  following  account  of  the  last  days  of  Theodore 
Thomas  was  written  by  Mrs.  Thomas  at  my  request. — EDR.] 

npHEODORE  THOMAS  died  at  daybreak,  on 
•*•  Wednesday,  January  4,  1905,  in  his  city  home, 
No.  43  Bellevue  Place,  Chicago,  Illinois.  For  sev- 
eral years  the  magnificent  health  which  had  always 
been  his  had  been  failing,  little  by  little,  but  so 
stealthy  was  the  hand  of  time  in  its  destruction  of  the 
earthly  tenement  which  held  this  great  and  pure  soul, 
that  only  those  who  lived  under  his  roof  were  able  to 
note  its  remorseless  progress.  To  the  world  at  large, 
Theodore  Thomas  retained  to  the  very  last  his  vigor, 
freshness,  and  magnetic  personality.  His  eye  was 
seemingly  as  bright,  his  ear  as  true,  and  his  capacity 
for  work  as  inexhaustible  as  ever.  But  those  who 
watched  him  anxiously  at  home  knew  that  this  out- 
ward appearance  of  health  and  strength  was  no 
longer  a  reality,  and  that  the  overwrought  and  high- 
strung  nerves  were  now  strained  by  public  life  to  the 
breaking  point.  He  himself  realized  all  this,  but  he 
hoped  that  the  peace  and  freedom  from  anxiety 
which  he  anticipated  would  be  his  when  the  orchestra 
should  at  last  be  permanently  installed  in  its  new 
home,  would  permit  him — by  a  careful  husbandry  of 
his  powers — to  continue  his  work  with  the  Chicago 

109 


no  THEODORE  THOMAS 

Association  until  he  had  carried  the  orchestra  safely 
through  the  transition  period,  and  could  pass  it  on  to 
his  successor  a  completed  institution. 

No  doubt  this  would  have  been  the  case  had  not 
untoward  circumstances  changed  the  natural  course 
of  events.  The  first  of  these  was  an  unavoidable 
delay  in  the  completion  of  the  new  hall.  Every  one 
connected  with  its  construction,  from  its  famous 
architect-in-chief  down  to  its  humblest  hod-carrier, 
worked  with  love  and  pride  upon  the  noble  structure, 
and  strained  every  nerve  to  have  it  finished  at  the 
appointed  time.  But  in  spite  of  their  almost  super- 
human efforts,  when  the  Dedication  Concert  took 
place  on  December  14,  1904,  it  was  still  far  from 
complete;  to  hold  rehearsals  and  concerts  in  it 
was  a  serious  risk  to  the  musicians,  for  the  plaster 
was  not  fully  dry,  the  air  was  charged  with  lime  dust 
from  recently  removed  scaffolds,  and  through  the 
still  unfitted  doors  and  windows  strong  draughts 
flowed  into  the  hall,  bringing  colds  and  influenza  in 
their  wake.  Many  of  the  musicians  were  made 
quite  ill  in  consequence,  and  among  them  was  Dr.1 
Thomas  himself,  who  contracted  a  severe  attack  of 
grippe.  Even  then  it  is  probable  that  had  he  re- 
mained at  home  a  few  days,  under  his  doctor's  care, 
he  would  have  recovered  without  difficulty.  But 
unfortunately  an  adverse  criticism  of  the  new  hall 
appeared,  which  he  feared  would  injure  its  reputation 

JThe  title  Doctor  of  Music  was  conferred  on  Theodore 
Thomas  by  Yale  University  in  1880;  also  by  Hamilton  College 
in  1 88 1. — EDR. 


LIFE  WORK  in 

unless  immediately  counteracted,  and  this  made  him 
feel,  all  too  keenly,  the  necessity  of  adjusting  the 
orchestra  to  its  new  surroundings  in  the  shortest  pos- 
sible time,  in  order  that  the  fine  acoustics  which  he 
knew  the  hall  possessed,  and  with  which  he  was  per- 
fectly satisfied,  might  be  made  apparent  to  the  world 
also  without  delay. 

When  art  or  duty  called  he  never  considered  him- 
self, and  so,  in  spite  of  the  fever  and  lassitude  of  the 
disease,  he  arose  from  his  sick  bed  every  day,  with  his 
old  indomitable  will,  and  conducted  concerts  and  re- 
hearsals for  ten  days.  But  outraged  nature  revenged 
herself  at  last,  and  on  Christmas  Eve,  1904,  at  the 
close  of  the  concert,  he  laid  down  the  baton  for  the 
last  time.  Christmas  Day  he  was  very  ill,  neverthe- 
less the  next  morning  he  insisted  on  dressing,  and 
came  down-stairs  with  the  intention  of  going  as  usual 
to  the  rehearsal.  But  even  his  heroic  will  was  no 
longer  equal  to  the  effort,  and  after  sitting  at  the 
breakfast-table  for  a  few  minutes,  like  one  dazed,  he 
yielded  to  the  solicitations  of  his  family  physician, 
Dr.  C.  F.  Ely,  whose  anxiety  had  prompted  him  to 
call  at  this  early  hour,  and  returned  to  bed. 

The  sad  details  of  the  ten  days  which  followed 
need  not  be  recounted.  By  Friday  grippe  had  de- 
veloped into  pneumonia,  and  from  then  on  it  was  a 
losing  battle,  fought,  inch  by  inch,  by  doctors,  nurses, 
family,  and  friends,  armed  with  all  the  facilities  of 
modern  science,  reinforced  by  the  tenderest  love  and 
by  the  public  and  private  prayers  of  the  whole  nation. 
During  Sunday  and  Monday  it  seemed  as  if  his 


H2  THEODORE  THOMAS 

splendid  constitution  would  triumph  over  the  disease, 
for  he  made  such  steady  improvement  each  day  that 
by  Tuesday  morning  every  one  was  jubilant  with 
hope.  All  through  his  illness,  speaking  had  been  very 
difficult  for  him,  and  although  he  was  not  at  any  time 
unconscious  or  delirious,  he  had  hardly  noticed  the 
various  members  of  the  family  as  they  came  and 
went  at  his  bedside,  and  had  seemed  anxious  only  to 
make  as  little  trouble  as  possible  for  his  kind  nurses. 
But  on  this  morning  he  observed  everybody — made 
little  jokes  with  the  doctors  and  his  sons,  and  talked 
to  his  wife  about  their  White  Mountain  home,  '  'Fel- 
sengarten,"  which  was  always  much  in  his  thoughts. 
About  twelve  o'clock  the  effort  of  even  these  broken 
sentences  seemed  to  tire  him;  he  paused  a  while, 
and  then  said  to  her  in  a  dreamy,  almost  ecstatic 
voice,  "I  have  had  a  beautiful  vision  ...  a 
beautiful  vision,"  and  then  drifted  off  into  silence. 
She  little  thought  that  these  were  to  be  his  last  words, 
but  fearing  he  was  tired  she  left  him  to  rest,  and 
went  down-stairs  to  luncheon.  He  had  given  her  at 
Christmas  a  little  chime  of  silver  bells,  to  be  used  to 
summon  the  family  to  meals.  As  he  had  been  ill 
ever  since  Christmas  Day  these  bells  had  not  been 
used,  for  fear  of  disturbing  him.  To-day,  however, 
he  had  seemed  so  much  better  that  she  thought  per- 
haps he  might  like  to  hear  his  bells  for  once.  So  she 
stopped  as  she  passed  them,  and  played  a  little  bugle- 
call  which  came  into  her  head.  Hardly  had  she 
finished  when  one  of  the  family  said,  "Do  you 
know  that  you  have  just  played  'taps' — the  call 


LIFE  WORK  113 

that  is  sounded  over  the  graves  of  dead  soldiers?" 
Struck  with  consternation  at  the  sinister  omen  which 
she  had  unconsciously  wrought,  she  rushed  back 
to  the  bells  and  played  another  call  which  was 
engraved  upon  a  metal  plate  above  them.  After- 
wards she  noticed  that  it  was  '  'reveille" — the  soldier's 
signal  to  arise.  And  thus  it  chanced  that  the  last 
music  heard  by  Theodore  Thomas  on  earth  was  sym- 
bolical of  death  and  the  resurrection.  Like  the  true 
soldier  he  was  he  obeyed  the  command.  Within  an 
hour  came  the  change  which  placed  him  beyond  all 
human  help,  and  at  daybreak  the  next  morning  he 
passed  quietly  and  painlessly  into  the  presence  of  the 
God  he  had  served  so  faithfully  and  well. 


REMINISCENCE  AND  APPRECIATION 


REMINISCENCE    AND    APPRE- 
CIATION 

BY  GEORGE  P.  UPTON 

MY   FIRST   MEETING  WITH  MR.   THOMAS 

T  FIRST  made  the  acquaintance  of  Theodore 
•*•  Thomas  November  27,  1869.  He  arrived  in 
Chicago  on  the  morning  of  that  day,  a  stormy  Satur- 
day, with  his  Central  Park  Garden  travelling  orches- 
tra of  forty  members,  and  announced  three  concerts 
at  Farwell  Hall.  Being  musical  editor  of  "The 
Chicago  Tribune"  at  that  time,  I  was  invited  by 
Mr.  Adolph  W.  Dohn,  a  mutual  friend,  to  call  upon 
the  young  conductor  who  had  already  made  such 
a  strong  impression  on  musical  taste  in  the  East. 
Mr.  Dohn,  who  had  been  the  conductor  of  the  Men- 
delssohn Society,  and  who  was  elected  first  conductor 
of  the  Apollo  Musical  Club  in  1872,  was  a  man  of 
great  influence  in  the  musical  affairs  of  Chicago  by 
reason  of  his  comprehensive  scholarship,  his  thorough 
training  in  music,  and  his  intimate  knowledge  of  both 
vocal  and  instrumental  work.  He  was  also  of  much 
service  to  Mr.  Thomas  from  that  time  to  the  end  of 
his  life1  in  many  matters  pertaining  to  the  orchestra, 
and  several  times  assisted  him  in  score-marking  and 
preparation  of  vocal  texts.  An  introduction  by  an 

*Mr.  Dohn  died  in  February,  1901. 
117 


u8  THEODORE  THOMAS 

intimate  friend,  for  Mr.  Thomas  held  most  persons  at 
arm's  length  until  they  had  been  tried  and  tested,  was 
an  open  sesame  to  a  gracious  reception.  He  greeted 
me  most  cordially,  with  a  strong  grip  of  that  powerful 
hand,  and  then  with  that  peculiar  smile  of  his,  which 
had  so  many  different  meanings,  said  in  a  brusque  way : 

"  I  am  glad  to  meet  any  friend  of  Mr.  Dohn's,  and  will  be 
pleased  to  have  you  come  and  see  me  while  I  am  here.  You 
must  not  expect  me  to  call  upon  you,  for  I  am  too  busy,  and 
besides,  I  never  go  into  newspaper  offices.  I  have  no  need  to 
cultivate  the  critics,  for  I  know  my  work.  I  do  not  care  to 
read  what  they  write,  and  would  not  have  time  if  I  did  care." 

I  replied  in  effect  that  this  was  a  new  experience. 
I  had  been  so  persistently  visited  by  advance  agents, 
business  agents,  artists,  and  even  impresarios  of  con- 
cert and  opera  troupes,  that  it  was  refreshing  to  meet 
a  musician  who  did  not  care  to  see  the  interior  of  a 
newspaper  office. 

Such  was  my  first  meeting  with  Theodore  Thomas, 
the  man. 

The  first  concert  was  given  that  evening  to  a  small 
audience.  Musicians  and  connoisseurs  attended. 
The  great  public  stayed  away.  Eight  of  the  twelve 
numbers  on  the  programme,  Stigelli's  "Tear,"  which 
Letsch,  the  trombonist,  sentimentalized  so  pleasantly, 
Schumann's  '  'Traumerei,"  the  overture  to  '  'William 
Tell,"  Strauss's '  'Blue  Danube  Waltz,"  and  his  polkas 
"Lob  der  Frauen"  and  "Jocus,"  Meyerbeer's  first 
"Fackeltanz,"  and  the  Titl  "Serenade"  for  flute  and 
French  horn,  are  now  rarely  taken  from  the  shelf. 
There  were  three  numbers,  however,  which  had  stay- 


THEODORE   THOMAS,    JULIUS    FUCHS,   ADOLPH    \V.   DOHN, 

IN    1875 


REMINISCENCE  AND   APPRECIATION       119 

ing  qualities  —  Mendelssohn's  '  'Midsummer  Night's 
Dream"  music,  the  overture  to  ' 'Tannhauser,"  and 
the  allegretto  to  Beethoven's  Eighth  Symphony,  the 
last  two  belonging  to  his  programme  "pillar"  work, 
of  which  he  speaks  elsewhere.  It  was  the  little 
reverie  of  Schumann's,  however,  with  its  Matzka 
romanza,  and  the  Thomas  string  setting,  that  proved 
to  be  the  musical  revelation.  The  "Traumerei"  had 
been  played  the  evening  before  upon  the  same  stage 
by  a  local  orchestra  under  the  direction  of  Hans 
Balatka.  The  difference  in  setting  and  reading,  the 
precision,  shading,  and  tonal  beauty,  and  particu- 
larly the  "pianisissimo,"  as  Mr.  Thomas  calls  it,  of 
the  close,  all  proclaimed  a  new  musical  departure  for 
Chicago.  It  would  never  again  be  content  with  the 
old  musical  performances.  The  "Traumerei"  was 
the  dawn  of  a  new  musical  day  for  the  West. 

Such  was  my  first  meeting  with  Theodore  Thomas, 
the  musician. 

This  was  Mr.  Thomas's  first  visit  to  Chicago  as  a 
conductor.  He  came  here  for  festivals,  hall,  and 
summer  night  concerts,  almost  every  year  afterwards 
until  1891,  when  he  made  Chicago  his  home,  organ- 
ized the  Chicago  Orchestra,  and  subsequently  re- 
alized the  dream  of  his  life  in  the  dedication  of  its 
permanent  home.  In  one  of  our  numerous  conver- 
sations touching  upon  the  preparation  of  the  work 
with  which  he  honored  me,  he  said,  after  long  per- 
suasion on  my  part:  "I  will  write  my  autobiography 
as  part  of  our  work.  It  will  be  only  a  general  sketch 
of  my  life,  and  you  must  fill  in  the  details,  for  which 


120  THEODORE  THOMAS 

I  have  not  time."  At  that  time  I  expected  his  judg- 
ment upon  what  I  should  write,  but  fate  ordered 
otherwise.  I  will  strive,  however,  to  carry  out  his 
request  in  "our  book"  to  the  best  of  my  ability, 
touching  upon  some  matters  which  it  is  proper  to 
attend  to  now,  avoiding  any  invasion  of  his  personal 
affairs,  which  would  have  been  repugnant  to  him, 
but  seeking  to  give  him  his  just  meed  of  praise,  to 
which  he  would  have  offered  objection  in  life,  but 
which  is  due  to  him  now  that  his  great  service  for 
music  is  ended,  save  in  its  enduring  influence. 

II 

APPRENTICESHIP 

TV/TR-  THOMAS  has  told  the  story  of  his  early 
•*•*-*•  years  with  a  certain  reserve,  due  to  his  often 
expressed  belief  that  the  public  cared  little  for  his 
personal  affairs,  as  well  as  to  his  aversion  to  personal 
publicity.  A  few  details  may  be  added,  however,  mak- 
ing the  account  of  his  apprenticeship  more  complete. 
The  period  between  1845  and  1850  may  be  called 
his  "wander  years,"  and  their  story  he  has  told  with 
sufficient  detail.  Then  came  his  years  of  violin 
playing  in  concerts  and  operatic  performances  which, 
uncertain  and  desultory  as  they  were,  nevertheless, 
as  he  often  has  said,  were  of  great  importance  to  him 
in  developing  his  style,  cultivating  his  tone,  and,  in- 
deed, helping  to  shape  his  career;  for  from  a  player 
in  the  ranks  he  was  soon  leader  or  '  'concertmeister," 
and  at  last  operatic  conductor.  It  is  curious  to  note 


REMINISCENCE  AND  APPRECIATION       121 

in  these  early  days  the  outcropping  of  those  charac- 
teristics which  so  sharply  differentiated  him  from 
other  conductors.  The  boy,  in  his  way,  was  as  much 
the  musical  autocrat  as  the  man.  During  Madame 
La  Grange's  concert  tour  he  was  not  only  leader  of 
the  orchestra  which  accompanied  her,  but  had  the 
sole  power  of  hiring  or  discharging  players.  The 
prima  donna  requested  him  to  place  her  valet,  who 
was  a  musician,  among  the  violins.  He  courteously 
declined.  She  insisted.  He  still  refused,  whereupon 
she  testily  said,  '  'Have  I  got  to  get  down  on  my  knees 
and  beg  you?" 

'  'I  do  not  care  whether  you  kneel  or  not,  Madame. 
I  should  think  it  would  be  more  convenient  to  stand 
upright.  But  your  man  can't  play,  and  that  is  the 
end  of  it." 

Mr.  Thomas  played  an  obligate  to  one  of  her 
numbers  that  evening.  Afterwards  the  Madame 
said  to  him:  "You  were  real  mean  to  me,  but  you 
played  like  a  god." 

Mr.  Thomas  has  related  one  story  in  his  auto- 
biography relating  to  Ullmann,  the  impresario.  Upon 
another  occasion  Frezzolini,  the  prima  donna,  who 
was  notorious  for  her  tardiness,  was  an  hour  late  at 
rehearsal,  and  sent  no  word.  She  arrived  just  in 
time  to  see  the  last  of  the  orchestra  leaving  the  stage. 
There  was  no  rehearsal,  consequently  no  perform- 
ance. Ullmann,  in  a  towering  rage,  sought  Mr. 
Thomas,  and  declared  that  some  one  must  be  dis- 
charged. '  'Certainly,"  replied  the  conductor.  '  'Dis- 
charge me.  I  am  the  only  one  responsible.  If  you 


122  THEODORE  THOMAS 

don't,  and  Signora  Frezzolini  continues  coming  late 
to  rehearsals,  I  will  discharge  myself."  Frezzolini 
was  not  late  after  that. 

He  even  had  the  temerity  to  disagree  with  Adelina 
Patti  once  about  the  tempo  of  an  aria.  She  claimed 
she  ought  to  have  her  way  because  she  was  the  prima 
donna.  "I  beg  your  pardon,  Madame,"  he  replied, 
''here,  I  am  prima  donna." 

Of  his  ability  as  a  violinist  I  shall  speak  further 
on.  The  earliest  programme  in  his  half-century 
collection,  February  20,  1852,  is  reproduced  else- 
where in  fac-simile.  About  two  months  later  his 
name  appears  again  upon  a  programme  of  a  benefit 
concert,  in  a  style  at  which  he  laughed  heartily  in  his 
later  years.  The  programme  is  as  follows: 

M.  CONKLIN 

of 

Dodworth's  Band 
begs  leave  to  announce  to  his  friends  and  the  public  that  his 

Benefit  Concert 
will  take  place  at  the 

Apollo  Saloon 

on  Monday  evening,  April  26,  1852 

when  he  will  be  assisted  by  the  following  eminent  talent,  who 
have  most  kindly  volunteered  their  valuable  services: 

DODWORTH  FAMILY 
MASTER  THEODORE  THOMAS 

probably  the  most  extraordinary  violinist  in  the  world  of  his  age, 
DODWORTH'S  BAND 

MASTER  MARSH 

the  infant  drummer,  and 

MR.  DANIEL  DA  VIES. 


REMINISCENCE  AND  APPRECIATION       123 

Parti 

1.  Introduction  from  "Lucrezia  Borgia"        .       Donizetti. 

Dodworth's  Parading  Band. 

2.  Serenade,  "  Star  of   Love " .         .         .         .     Wallace. 

Dodworth's  Serenade  Band. 

3.  "Concerto  Militaire,"  for  violin       .         .        Lipinski. 

Master  T.  Thomas. 

4.  "Glendon  Polka"        ....      A.  Dodworth. 

Dodworth's  Parading  Band. 

5.  Cavatina,  "  Still  so  gently,"  for  ebor  cornet,  from 

"Sonnambula"     ......  Bellini. 

Mr.  Charles  P.  Dodworth. 

6.  Infant  Drummer's  extraordinary  performance. 

PartH 

7.  Grand  Quartet  from  "Bianca  e  Faliero"        .       Rossini. 

Dodworth's  Serenade  Band. 

8.  Violin  Solo,  "Carnival  of  Venice"  .         .         .     Ernst. 

Master  T.  Thomas. 

9.  Serenade  from  "Don  Pasquale"    .         .         .     Donizetti. 

Dodworth's  Serenade  Band. 

10.  Cavatina,  "  Son  vergin  vezzose,"  from  "  I  Puritani," 

for  cornet    .......    Bellini. 

Mr.  Allen  Dodworth. 

11.  Quadrille,  "Grove  Songsters"       .         .H.  B.  Dodworth. 

Dodworth's  Quadrille  Band. 

12.  Trio  from  "Norma,"  "A  di  qual  se"     .         .    Bellini. 
Messrs.  Allen,  Harvey  B.,  and  Charles  R.  Dodworth. 

13.  "Trip  by  Railroad".        .        .         .     H.  B.  Dodworth. 

Dodworth's  Quadrille  Band. 

14.  Reveille H.  B.  Dodworth. 

Messrs.  M.  Conklin  and  D.  Davies. 


1 24  THEODORE  THOMAS 

The  confidence  which  the  young  musician  had  in 
himself  at  this  period  of  his  career  is  shown  in  the 
following  incident,  related  by  William  Mason  in  his 
''Memories  of  a  Musical  Life": 

"  One  evening,  as  Thomas  came  home,  tired  out  from  his 
work,  and  after  dinner  had  settled  himself  in  a  comfortable 
place  for  a  good  rest,  a  message  came  to  him  from  the  Academy 
of  Music,  about  two  blocks  away  from  his  home  in  East  Twelfth 
Street.  An  opera  season  was  in  progress  there.  The  orchestra 
was  in  its  place,  and  the  audience  seated,  when  word  was  re- 
ceived that  Anschiitz,  the  conductor,  was  ill.  The  manage- 
ment had  not  provided  against  that  contingency,  and  was  in  a 
position  of  much  embarrassment.  Would  Thomas  come  to 
the  rescue?  He  had  never  conducted  opera,  and  the  work 
for  the  evening  performance  was  an  opera  with  which  he  was 
unfamiliar.  Here  was  a  life's  opportunity,  and  Thomas  was 
equal  to  the  occasion.  He  thought  for  a  moment,  then  said, 
'I  will.'  He  rose  quickly,  got  himself  into  his  dress  suit, 
hurried  to  the  Academy  of  Music,  and  conducted  the  opera 
as  if  it  were  a  common  experience.  He  was  not  a  man  to  say 
'Give  me  time  until  next  week.'  He  was  always  ready  for 
every  opportunity." 

Mr.  Mason's  version  of  this  incident  is  not  his- 
torically complete.  The  first  opera  conducted  by 
Mr.  Thomas  was  Halevy's  "Jewess."  It  was  first 
given  under  the  management  of  Max  Maretzek,  in 
1859,  and  was  revived  by  Ullmann  in  1860,  with 
Carl  Formes  and  Mme.  Fabbri  in  the  principal  roles. 
Notwithstanding  its  musical  success  it  did  not  pay, 
and  after  five  performances  Ullmann  withdrew  it  and 
also  retired  from  the  management  of  the  Academy 
of  Music.  This  was  in  December,  1860.  "The 
Musical  Review  and  World,"  of  December  8,  1860, 


REMINISCENCE  AND   APPRECIATION       125 

says  In  this  connection:  "We  hear  that  Mr. 
Anschiitz  will  not  conduct  under  the  new  manage- 
ment, but  that  Mr.  Theodore  Thomas  will  take  his 
place.  Considering  what  this  young,  talented  leader 
achieved  during  the  last  performances  of  'The 
Jewess,'  when  he  took  the  baton  at  a  moment's  no- 
tice *  and  brought  the  performance  to  a  very  satis- 
factory close,  we  should  think  that  the  change  is  a 
highly  acceptable  one." 

Ill 
LIFE  WORK  BEGINS 

/"T"SHE  year  1854  may  be  called  the  close  of  Mr. 
•*•  Thomas's  apprenticeship.  In  1855,  as  first 
violinist  of  the  Mason-Bergmann  Chamber  Concerts, 
a  year  later  known  as  the  '  '  Mason-Thomas,"  he  was 
the  master-musician  —  master  in  every  sense,  for  he 
dominated  that  organization  in  its  methods,  its 
music,  its  programmes,  and  its  progress.  Mr. 
Thomas  in  his  autobiography  dwells  at  some  length 
upon  the  personnel  of  its  members  and  the  work  they 
accomplished.  Mr.  Mason,  in  his  Memories,  from 
which  I  already  have  quoted,  supplies  the  informa- 
tion as  to  the  part  Mr.  Thomas  took  in  this  work:2 

"The  organization  as  originally  formed  would  probably 
have  remained  intact  during  all  the  years  the  concerts  lasted 
had  it  not  become  apparent  almost  from  the  start  that  Theo- 


is  evidently  refers  to  the  incident  mentioned  by  Mr. 
Mason.  —  EDR. 

2  Mr.  Thomas  at  this  time  was  in  his  twentieth  year.  —  EDR. 


126  THEODORE  THOMAS 

dore  Thomas  had  in  him  the  genius  of  conductorship.  He 
possessed  by  nature  a  thoroughly  musical  organization,  and 
was  a  born  conductor  and  leader. 

"Before  we  had  been  long  together,  it  became  apparent 
that  there  was  more  or  less  friction  between  Thomas  and 
Bergmann,  who,  being  the  conductor  of  the  Germania  and 
afterward  of  the  Philharmonic  Orchestra,  also  a  player  of  long 
experience,  and  the  organizer  of  the  quartette,  naturally  as- 
sumed the  leadership  in  the  beginning.  The  result  was  that 
Bergmann  withdrew  after  the  first  year,  and  Bergner,  a  fine 
violoncellist  and  active  member  of  the  Philharmonic  Society, 
took  his  place.  The  organization  was  then  called  the  'Mason 
and  Thomas  Quartette,'  and  so  styled,  it  won  a  wide  reputation 
throughout  the  country.  I  should  say  in  passing  that  Berg- 
mann was  an  excellent,  though  not  a  great,  conductor. 

"  From  the  time  that  Thomas  took  the  leadership,  free  and 
untrammeled,  the  quartette  improved  rapidly.  His  dominating 
influence  was  felt  and  acknowledged  by  us  all.  Moreover,  he 
rapidly  developed  a  talent  for  making  programmes  by  putting 
pieces  into  the  right  order  of  sequence,  thus  avoiding  incon- 
gruities. He  brought  this  art  to  perfection  in  the  arrangement 
of  his  symphony  concert  programmes." 

Mr.  Thomas  was  now  fairly  launched  upon  his 
life  work.  To  understand  the  nature  and  the  diffi- 
culty of  that  work,  it  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  up 
to  1855,  and,  indeed,  for  a  few  years  after,  music  had 
been  only  a  source  of  amusement  to  New  York. 
There  had  been  a  few  chamber  concerts  given  by 
the  Eisfeld  Quartette,  but  they  were  only  sparsely 
attended,  and  were  without  any  important  results. 
As  for  an  orchestra,  the  Philharmonic  Society  had 
been  in  existence  for  about  ten  years,  but  its  existence 
was  precarious,  and  it  had  little  vitality  at  best  until 
Mr.  Thomas  saved  it  from  financial  collapse  and 


REMINISCENCE  AND  APPRECIATION       127 

elevated  its  standard  of  performance  several  years 
later.  Opera  was  the  musical  staple,  and  was  then, 
even  more  than  now,  simply  an  occasion  for  social, 
fashionable,  and  musical  entertainment.  The  young 
conductor  conceived  the  noble  purpose  of  elevating 
the  musical  standard,  introducing  the  higher  music, 
and  making  people  not  only  acquainted  with  it,  but 
desirous  of  hearing  it.  Thus  he  was  the  musical 
pioneer,  and  he  always  had  faith  that  he  could  ac- 
complish his  mission.  Some  years  afterwards,  in 
1874,  when  the  directors  of  the  Brooklyn  Philhar- 
monic Society  tendered  him  a  complimentary  benefit, 
he  said  in  his  reply  to  them: 

"Throughout  my  life  my  aim  has  been  to  make  good 
music  popular,  and  it  now  appears  that  I  have  only  done  the 
public  justice  in  believing  and  acting  constantly  on  the  belief 
that  the  people  would  enjoy  and  support  the  best  in  art  when 
continually  set  before  them  in  a  clear,  intelligent  manner." 

This  extract  sufficiently  explains  the  musical  pur- 
pose of  his  life.  His  courage  and  determination  to 
accomplish  that  purpose  are  still  further  illustrated 
by  a  statement  made  at  the  time  when  he  was  striving 
to  secure  support  for  his  orchestra: 

"I  was  hungry  last  night,  but  no  fox  gnawing  at  my  side, 
as  in  the  Spartan  story,  can  make  me  abandon  the  course  of 
life  I  have  laid  out  for  myself.  I  have  gone  without  food 
longer  than  I  should,  I  have  walked  when  I  could  not  afford  to 
ride,  I  have  even  played  when  my  hands  were  cold,  but  I  shall 
succeed,  for  I  shall  never  give  up  my  belief  that  at  last  the 
people  will  come  to  me,  and  my  concerts,  will  be  crowded. 
I  have  undying  faith  in  the  latent  musical  appreciation  of  the 
American  public." 


128  THEODORE  THOMAS 

Without  money,  without  backers,  having  no  capi- 
tal but  his  indomitable  will,  untiring  energy,  sublime 
faith  in  himself,  and  confidence  in  the  people,  he  set 
about  the  task  of  securing  an  orchestra,  and  a  hall 
which  should  be  suitable  for  his  concert  purposes,  as 
well  as  the  elevation  of  the  popular  taste.  His  ideal 
of  an  orchestra  is  contained  in  a  letter  which  he 
wrote  me  many  years  ago : 

"Musicians  playing  together  year  after  year  rehearse  to- 
gether. This  co-working  is  not  disturbed  by  playing  in  theatres 
and  concert  combinations.  Nothing  impairs  the  artistic 
morale.  By  thus  offering  permanent  engagements,  the  con- 
ductor can  induce  the  best  artists  to  join  him.  That  is  a 
permanent  orchestra  in  the  true  sense.  With  such  an  orchestra 
its  first  charm  is  the  purity  and  vitality  of  the  intonation,  and 
besides  the  good  tone-quality  and  color  of  each  instrument, 
the  mutual  subordination  and  blending  of  them  all.  Next, 
careful,  admirable  phrasing,  and  gradation  of  light  and 
shade." 

As  for  the  hall,  in  a  letter  dated  in  1887,  he  writes: 

"  Give  me  a  proper  concert-hall,  where  the  beautiful  works 
of  the  great  masters  of  symphony  and  purely  orchestral  com- 
positions can  be  properly  given  and  properly  heard,  and  I  will 
banish  opera  and  musical  drama  excerpts  from  my  perform- 
ances. My  life  work  has  been  for  the  concert-hall,  and  year 
after  year,  but  never  more  than  at  the  present  time,  have  I 
deplored  the  absence  in  New  York  of  a  large  hall  suitable 
for  producing  large  works." 

He  once  said  to  me,  speaking  of  a  musician  who 
was  reported  to  have  died  broken-hearted,  '  'He  had 
no  Chicago  to  go  to."  It  was  Chicago  which  gave 
him  his  permanent  orchestra  in  its  permanent  home 


REMINISCENCE  AND  APPRECIATION       129 

and  the  opportunity  to  do  his  best  work,  after  fifty 
years  of  herculean  labor. 

I  have  spoken  of  opera  as  the  main  source  of 
entertainment  for  the  musical  New  York  of  that  day, 
but  how  little  operatic  managers  appreciated  or 
understood  the  real  work  Mr.  Thomas  had  in  view, 
even  after  his  orchestra  had  become  established,  is 
shown  by  the  following  incident.  During  the  Nilsson 
season  in  New  York,  Max  Strakosch,  the  impresario, 
came  to  one  of  the  orchestra  rehearsals  with  Vieux- 
temps,  the  violinist,  and  Mr.  Jarrett,  Nilsson's  agent, 
who  desired  to  make  Mr.  Thomas's  acquaintance. 
The  latter  had  long  known  Vieuxtemps.  Strakosch 
introduced  Jarrett  with  his  customary  beaming  smile, 
saying,  "Mr.  Jarrett,  allow  me  to  present  Mr. 
Thomas,  our  American  Strauss."  Vieuxtemps  re- 
garded Strakosch  with  mingled  surprise  and  indig- 
nation, perceiving  which,  Strakosch  recognized  the 
mistake  he  had  made,  and  jumped  from  the  frying- 
pan  into  the  fire  with  the  ludicrous  amendment, 
"Strauss  in  the  Beethoven  style!" 

I  should  except  one  manager,  however,  from  this 
criticism.  Col.  J.  H.  Mapleson,  in  the  second  vol- 
ume of  his  entertaining  Memoirs,  says: 

"  Better  even  than  the  orchestra  of  M.  Lamoreux  is  that  of 
M.  Colonne.  But  I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying  that  M. 
Colonne's  orchestra  is  surpassed  in  fineness  and  fullness  of 
tone  and  delicacy  of  expression  by  the  American  orchestra  con- 
ducted by  Mr.  Thomas.  The  members  of  this  orchestra  are 
for  the  most  part  Germans,  and  the  eminent  conductor  is  him- 
self, by  race,  at  least,  a  German.  Putting  aside,  however,  all 
question  of  nationality,  I  simply  say  that  the  orchestra  directed 


1 3o  THEODORE  THOMAS 

by  Mr.  Theodore  Thomas  is  the  best  I  am  acquainted  with; 
and  its  high  merit  is  due,  in  a  great  measure,  to  the  permanence 
of  the  body.  Its  members  work  together  habitually  and  con- 
stantly; they  take  rehearsals  as  part  of  their  regular  work;  and 
they  look  to  their  occupation  as  players  in  the  Theodore  Thomas 
Orchestra  as  their  sole  source  of  income.  As  for  substitutes, 
Mr.  Thomas  would  no  more  accept  one  than  a  military  com- 
mander would  accept  substitutes  among  his  officers. 

"There  has,  from  time  to  time,  been  some  talk  of  the 
Theodore  Thomas  unrivalled  orchestra  paying  a  visit  to  Lon- 
don, where  its  presence,  apart  from  all  questions  of  the  musical 
delight  it  would  afford,  would  show  our  public  what  a  good 
orchestra  is,  and  our  musical  societies  how  a  good  orchestra 
ought  to  be  formed  and  maintained."  * 


IV 
GARDEN  MUSIC 

TV/TR.  THOMAS  began  his  real  life  work  in  1862, 
when  he  gave  his  first  orchestral  concert.  That 
was  the  seed  from  which  grew  his  symphony  concerts, 
inaugurated  in  1864,  followed  up  by  his  concerts  at 
Terrace  Garden  (1866)  and  Central  Park  Garden 
(1868),  the  latter  being  maintained  for  several  years, 
so  that  his  players  should  be  kept  together  summer 
and  winter.  Just  before  a  concert  in  Chicago,  in 
1872,  he  said  to  me,  "I  am  going  to  play  the  'Liebes- 
tod'  from  'Tristan  and  Isolde'  to-night.  I  want  to 
give  the  audience  something  to  chew  on."  A  few 
years  later  there  was  no  number  on  his  programmes 
more  eagerly  anticipated,  more  gladly  welcomed. 

fThe  above  tribute  was  written  in  1882,  just  after  the 
great  New  York  Festival,  which  Mr.  Thomas  conducted. 


REMINISCENCE  AND  APPRECIATION       131 

This  was  what  he  was  doing  with  the  New  Yorkers 
in  that  period,  and  what  he  did  in  the  tours  which 
began  in  1869.  He  was  giving  them  something  to 
"chew  on."  It  made  no  difference  how  much  they 
protested,  what  wry  faces  they  made,  or  how  much 
they  complained  that  they  could  not  understand 
symphonies,  classical  overtures,  and  startling  excerpts 
from  the  so-called  "music  of  the  future."  He  put 
them  in  the  first  or  second  part  of  the  programme, 
and  rilled  the  third  with  the  delicacies  they  liked,  so 
that  they  could  not  get  away  from  the  better  music 
without  giving  up  the  tinkling  tunes.  He  played  the 
better  music  until  it  was  soon  understood.  If  un- 
usual protest  were  made  against  a  certain  number, 
like  the  "Liebestod,"  for  instance,  he  kept  people 
"chewing"  upon  it  until  it  was  digested  and  they 
grew  to  like  it,  and  became  discontented  with  the 
syllabubs. 

A  glance  over  those  remarkable  Central  Park 
Garden  programmes,  which  had  such  incalculable 
influence  upon  the  musical  taste  of  New  York,  and 
indirectly  upon  that  of  the  whole  country,  will  dis- 
close how  patiently  and  resolutely  he  led  the  people, 
and  how  surely  and  steadily  they  followed  him.  He 
began  with  a  classical  overture  sandwiched  in  between 
Offenbach,  Strauss,  Lanner,  Gungl,  Bilse,  and  many 
another  composer  now  utterly  forgotten.  Then  he 
would  add  to  his  classical  overture  some  fragment 
from  a  Wagner  music-drama,  and  the  two  would 
appear  in  a  setting  of  light  and  popular  melodies. 
Presently  there  appeared  a  symphony  movement, 


132  THEODORE  THOMAS 

something  by  Raff,  Spohr,  Schumann,  Schubert,  or 
Beethoven,  repeated  over  and  over  in  connection  with 
the  light  stuff  also  repeated  over  and  over,  until  peo- 
ple found  the  latter  did  not  stand  repetition  like  the 
former,  in  which  they  discovered  new  beauties  at  each 
performance.  At  last  he  ventured  upon  an  entire 
symphony,  and  soon  regular  symphony  programmes 
were  performed  to  large  houses. 

In  his  announcement  of  the  second  season  in  Cen- 
tral Park  Garden  he  says: 

"The  repertoire  has  been  largely  increased  year  by  year, 
and  is  now  one  of  the  most  extensive  and  varied  to  be  found  in 
any  country.  It  will  be  further  augmented,  from  time  to  time, 
by  the  introduction  of  the  latest  European  and  American  suc- 
cesses. The  programmes  will  be  composed  with  the  same  care 
and  discrimination  as  heretofore,  and  will,  while  consulting 
every  taste,  leave  nothing  to  be  desired,  even  by  the  strictest 
musical  purist." 

He  inaugurated  the  Garden  Concerts  with  an 
orchestra  of  forty,  Matzka  being  his  concertmeister, 
Grupe  leading  the  second  violins,  Schwartz  the  violas, 
Bergner  the  'cellos,  and  Pfeifenschneider  the  double 
basses;  Liedler  was  first  flute,  Eller  first  oboe,  Wen- 
delschaefer  first  clarinet,  Hochstein  bassoon,  Schmitz 
horn,  Dietz  trumpet,  Letsch  trombone,  Listmann 
tuba,  Loewe  drums,  Klugescheid  bass  drum,  and 
Benedict  zither  and  triangle.  Loewe  was  the  only 
one  of  this  orchestra  who  took  part  in  the  concerts  of 
the  Chicago  Orchestra.  In  1872  the  orchestra  was 
increased  to  fifty  members,  and  June  20  of  that  year 
Mr.  Thomas  had  a  benefit  concert  for  which  the 


number  of  players  was  increased  to  sixty.  The  fol- 
lowing description  of  him  at  this  concert,  by  a  con- 
temporary, shows  that  he  set  his  face  against  encores 
at  an  early  period : 

"The  conductor  was  evidently  in  the  best  of  moods.  In 
front  of  his  desk  hung  a  beautiful  garland  of  lilies.  Above 
him  the  crystal  chandelier  chimed  gaily,  swayed  by  the  river 
breeze.  From  his  cheerful  demeanor  one  would  not  have 
guessed  that  three  sonnets  had  recently  been  written  to  him, 
yet  there  they  were,  printed  on  the  second  leaf  of  the  pro- 
gramme, for  every  one  to  read.  He  seems  somehow  to  be  en 
rapport  with  hearers  as  well  as  with  orchestra.  Even  when 
his  audience  relapses  into  barbarism  on  the  subject  of  encores, 
he  quietly  but  firmly  controls  them.  I  have  seen  him — under 
circumstances  almost  as  trying  as  the  famous  charivari  at  the 
Cirque  Napoleon,  when  Pasdeloup  nearly  broke  his  baton  in 
frantic  rage — leave  the  stand  and  quietly  take  a  seat  in  a  corner 
of  the  orchestra,  remaining  there  until  he  had  carried  his  point." 

He  never  lost  his  temper  in  the  Garden  Concerts. 
Upon  one  occasion  a  youth  on  the  front  seat  had  been 
talking  almost  incessantly  in  a  low  tone  of  voice  to 
the  young  lady  with  him,  while  the  allegretto  to  Bee- 
thoven's Eighth  Symphony  was  being  played,  and  at 
last  began  scratching  explosive  matches  to  light  his 
cigar.  After  two  or  three  had  snapped  and  gone  out, 
Mr.  Thomas  gave  the  signal  to  his  orchestra  to  stop, 
laid  down  his  baton,  turned  to  the  young  man,  and 
said  with  one  of  his  sweetest  and  most  cynical  smiles, 
in  a  voice  audible  to  all  around  him,  "Go  on,  sir! 
Don't  mind  us !  We  can  all  wait  until  you  light  your 
cigar."  The  cigar  was  not  lit,  and  the  couple 
were  quiet  through  the  rest  of  the  concert.  Upon 


134  THEODORE  THOMAS 

another  occasion  he  applied  a  more  drastic  remedy. 
The  orchestra  was  playing  the  l  'Midsummer  Night's 
Dream"  music  of  Mendelssohn,  and  Mr.  Thomas 
was  much  annoyed  by  the  talking  of  a  couple  near  by 
him.  Suddenly  he  gave  a  signal  to  the  drum  player, 
and  a  long  roll  went  rattling  through  the  fairy  music 
which  startled  every  one.  The  conductor  quietly 
turned  round  and  fixed  a  significant  look  upon  the 
talkers,  which  informed  them  they  were  responsible 
for  the  liberty  which  had  been  taken  with  the  score. 
There  was  no  further  talking. 

At  the  opening  of  the  Garden  in  1873,  the  orches- 
tra had  grown  steadily  in  excellence.  These  concerts 
had  also  made  Mr.  Thomas's  more  ambitious  sym- 
phony concerts  possible,  for  without  this  preparation 
it  would  have  been  impossible  to  have  given  them. 
These  Garden  Concerts  also  made  it  possible  for  him 
to  produce  in  that  season  ten  symphonic  works,  four 
of  them  novelties,  as  well  as  overtures  representing 
the  development  of  music  from  Bach  to  Berlioz  and 
they  also  paved  the  way  for  the  Rubinstein  concerts, 
and  gave  that  composer  the  opportunity  to  present  his 
"Ocean"  Symphony.  At  last  the  symphony  became 
the  regular  Thursday  evening  feature  of  the  Garden 
Concerts,  and  every  Thursday  evening  the  audience 
was  the  largest  of  the  week,  and  this  notwithstanding 
an  increase  in  the  price  of  admission,  to  meet  the 
expense  of  an  increased  orchestra.  The  programmes 
of  that  season  would  hardly  have  been  listened  to 
with  patience  in  the  opening  season  at  Terrace  Gar- 
den in  1866.  During  that  season,  besides  the  Garden 


THEODORE    THOMAS    IX    1875 


REMINISCENCE  AND  APPRECIATION       135 

Concerts,  he  had  given  thirty-two  strictly  symphonic 
concerts.  The  effect  of  the  winter  and  summer  con- 
certs was  such  as  to  make  each  more  complete,  and 
Mr.  Thomas  now  thought  he  was  on  the  road  to  the 
organization  of  a  permanent  orchestra.  He  also  had 
visions  of  a  permanent  hall,  for  a  movement  was 
begun  in  New  York  to  erect  one.  But  for  both  he 
was  yet  to  wait  more  than  thirty  years.  The  story 
of  this  period  was  so  well  told  by  "The  New  York 
Evening  Post,"  in  1873,  that  it  is  worth  preserving 
as  musical  history.  The  "Post"  said: 

"  With  the  expiration  of  the  season  of  1873-74  the  series 
of  concerts  given  by  Thomas's  orchestra,  which  will  have  ex- 
tended through  a  period  of  six  years,  will  come  to  an  end. 
The  announcement  will  be  made  in  due  form  at  the  proper  time, 
but  knowing  that  the  cessation  is  inevitable,  it  may  not  be  in- 
opportune, even  in  advance  of  it,  to  ask  how  far  the  organization 
has  succeeded  in  the  accomplishment  of  the  task  it  has  set  itself 
to  perform.  To  do  this  fairly,  it  is  impossible  to  regard  its 
labors  with  the  spirit  of  one  who  has  been  simply  entertained, 
though  at  the  same  time  it  is  allowed  that  the  record  of  pleasures 
received  from  this  fine  band  of  musicians  would  be  an  unex- 
ampled one.  It  has  done  much  more  than  to  amuse;  it  has 
earned  for  itself  a  character  as  an  educator. 

"Its  labors  were  commenced  at  Terrace  Garden;  after  two 
seasons  they  were  transferred  to  Central  Park  Garden,  with 
which  it  has  since  been  identified.  Like  all  enterprises  in 
which  are  germs  of  good,  it  encountered  at  the  outset  a  heavy 
counter-current  of  disasters  and  cold  sympathies.  Financial 
troubles  blocked  the  way;  doubters  in  newspapers,  in  society, 
in  musical  circles,  looked  askance,  and  the  attempt  of  one  man, 
with  two  score  of  players  at  his  back,  to  gain  the  ears  of  a  raw 
public  by  interpreting  the  best  works  of  the  best  composers  was 
thought  to  be  a  very  pattern  of  temerity. 


136  THEODORE  THOMAS 

"  One  cannot  sufficiently  applaud  the  energy  and  faith  that 
supported  Mr.  Thomas  through  the  difficulties  which  for  three 
long  years  environed  him  and  his  orchestra.  It  is  told  of  him 
that  he  never  once  doubted  that  he  should  ultimately  succeed 
in  winning  regard  among  the  people  who  at  first  had  regarded 
him  so  coldly.  He  knew  us  better  than  we  did  ourselves.  We 
were  inert.  We  were  told  that  he  was  an  experimenting  in- 
novator; that  he  was  a  closet  enthusiast;  that  he  was  a  fierce 
specialist,  who  intended  to  ply  us  with  what  he  called  music; 
that  we  should  finally  be  forced  to  receive  it  by  tolerance. 
Therefore  we  stayed  away.  His  benches  remained  empty.  It 
was  said  in  the  lower  town  that  somewhere  in  the  upper  town 
there  was  a  fine  orchestra  perpetually  engaged  in  playing  fine 
music.  But  we  did  not  listen  until  the  persistent  story  was 
heard  one  year  after  another. 

"Curiosity  and  the  appeals  of  a  few  believers  began  to 
work  a  change.  Those  who  had  been  abroad  and  had  heard 
the  orchestras  which  are  supported  by  royal  subsidies,  told  us 
that  we  had  at  our  doors  an  organization  that  was  equal  to  the 
best.  Then  people  began  to  visit  the  place  where  this  wonder 
was.  The  venture  which  had  been  so  hazardous  and  so  profit- 
less began  to  be  strengthened.  It  commenced  to  acquire  a 
fame  commensurate  with  its  deserts. 

"  Mr.  Thomas  had  collected  fifty  men  from  all  parts  of  the 
world  where  the  science  of  music  was  understood  and  practised. 
From  that  foreign  city  he  brought  a  violin  virtuoso,  from  this, 
one  celebrated  for  his  mastery  of  the  cornet;  from  here,  another 
famous  as  a  performer  on  the  oboe ;  from  there,  a  great  harper, 
and  so  on,  picking  out  the  best  and  selecting  the  specialists, 
until  he  had  under  his  control  a  true  galaxy.  It  was  only  such 
a  one  as  would  fill  his  desire.  He  was  not  content  to  amass  a 
quantity  of  mediocre  talent,  and  to  bedizen  it  here  and  there 
with  a  light,  but  the  spirit  of  his  endeavor  required  that  all  the 
portions  should  have  equal  radiance.  These  materials  he 
bound  together  by  arduous  drill,  intelligent  direction,  and 
supreme  tact,  until  he  produced  an  harmonious  entirety,  a  toned 


and  symphonic  whole.  Each  ingredient  had  its  value,  each 
function  its  influence,  each  proportion  its  true  and  exact  weight, 
and  made  a  unity  with  that  sympathy  and  accord  that  long 
communion  alone  could  give;  the  true  orchestra  was  at  length 
produced.  It  began  its  work.  The  character  of  that  task  has 
been  described.  It  entailed  upon  the  laborers  losses,  disap- 
pointments, ridicule — everything  but  discouragements.  There 
were  no  rebuffs  that  they  did  not  encounter,  and  no  disasters 
that  did  not  fall  to  their  lot;  but  their  leader,  full  of  his  purpose 
and  with  a  definite  goal  before  him,  carried  his  enterprise 
through,  and  attained,  and  more  than  attained,  the  result  he 
wished.  That  result  was  to  imbue  his  hearers,  wherever  he 
found  them,  with  a  sincere  love  for  good  music ;  not  a  transient 
and  fallible  desire,  susceptible  to  various  prettinesses  and 
fashions,  but  a  deep  and  earnest  regard  for  the  works  of  the 
masters. 

"  What  are  the  evidences  that  he  has  done  this  ?  In  what 
does  it  appear  that  this  process  of  induction  has  been  successful  ? 
First,  in  the  improved  character  of  his  auditors.  That  must  be 
a  powerful  magnet  that  draws  a  congregation  of  cultivated 
Americans  two  miles  from  their  homes  to  gain  pleasure  under 
circumstances  which  are  new  to  them.  At  first  the  listeners 
were  of  a  poor  quality  of  people.  They  gained  for  the  Garden 
a  name  that  was  indifferently  good.  But  in  spite  of  this  preju- 
dice, in  spite  of  the  fact  that  Americans  do  not  appreciate  popu- 
lar pleasures,  in  spite  of  the  distance,  of  the  crowded  convey- 
ances, of  the  time  wasted  in  travelling,  the  people  whose  ears 
Mr.  Thomas  wanted  to  reach  at  length  began  to  throng  upon 
him.  Second,  in  his  periodic  journeys  with  his  orchestra  into 
New  England  and  the  West  and  the  South,  he  has  been  wel- 
comed with  an  ardor  never  accorded  to  others  who  have  paid 
visits  for  like  purposes.  He  carried  with  him  the  power  to 
render  the  finest  music  in  the  finest  way.  He  was  received 
with  open  arms.  The  third  witness  is  himself.  He  is  more 
than  satisfied,  and  nothing  could  have  greater  significance  than 
this  admission.  That  he  who  has  assumed  the  task  of  teaching 


138  THEODORE  THOMAS 

the  uneducated  in  that  in  which  he  is  so  perfectly  educated  him- 
self is  willing  to  assert  that  he  has  surpassed  his  expectations, 
and  has  found  the  public  to  be  warmer  and  more  ardent  than 
he  hoped,  is  an  indication  of  great,  not  possibilities,  but  proba- 
bilities. 

"  Mr.  Thomas  found,  as  soon  as  his  work  and  intention  be- 
came clearly  understood,  and  rose  above  the  strata  of  spasmodic 
adventures  and  dishonest  enterprises  with  which  the  people  had 
long  been  deceived,  that  he  was  welcome.  Now,  then,  these 
two  great  things  appear  to  have  been  achieved :  First,  there  has 
been  produced  in  New  York  an  orchestra  inferior  to  none  of  its 
size  in  the  great  world.  It  is  perfectly  trained,  perfectly  at- 
tuned, perfectly  combined,  and  is  an  excellent  as  well  as  a 
prodigious  power.  Second,  a  comprehension  of  the  works  of 
the  great  composers  has  been  animated  all  over  the  country. 
Where  in  former  days  an  orchestra  would,  in  stirring  abroad, 
pass  into  a  chilling  atmosphere,  it  now  encounters  applause  and 
warmth.  The  change  has  been  great,  it  might  almost  be  said 
marvellous." 

V 

SYMPHONIC  SOIREES 

TT  WAS  in  December,  1864,  that  Mr.  Thomas  or- 
ganized  an  orchestra  and  began  his  famous  series 
of  symphonic  " soirees"  which  closed  in  1869.  In 
his  reference  to  these  he  disclaims  any  intention  to 
compete  with  the  Philharmonic  Society,  much  less 
to  injure  it.  Undoubtedly  he  felt  that  the  latter 
society  was  not  doing  as  effective  work  as  it  should 
in  the  cause  of  good  music,  and  therefore  that  his 
new  project  was  justifiable.  Nor  can  it  be  ques- 
tioned that  the  effect  upon  the  Philharmonic  was 
healthy,  for  at  once  its  managers  increased  the 


REMINISCENCE  AND  APPRECIATION       139 

number  of  players,  raised  the  standard  of  perform- 
ance, and  began  looking  about  for  new  works.  In 
this  way  the  Thomas  Symphony  Orchestra  was  a 
much-needed  stimulus  for  the  Philharmonic.  In  these 
soirees  Bach,  Haydn,  Mozart,  Beethoven,  Schubert, 
and  Schumann  were  his  foundations,  as  they  were 
ever  afterwards,  but  he  made  many  an  incursion  into 
the  field  of  the  modern  romanticists  as  well  as  that  of 
the  '  'music  of  the  future."  As  Mendelssohn  revived 
Bach  in  Europe,  Mr.  Thomas  revived  the  father  of 
modern  music  in  this  country,  and  brought  out  in 
rich  profusion  the  works  of  the  modern  school  of 
Berlioz,  Liszt,  Wagner,  Brahms,  Rubinstein,  Raff, 
and  Saint-Saens,  besides  some  of  the  lesser  lights. 
The  second  season  was  made  memorable  by  the  first 
production  (December  3,  1866)  of  Beethoven's  Ninth 
Symphony.  Of  this  concert,  the  second  in  the  sea- 
son, Professor  Ritter  wrote  at  the  time: 

"The  second  symphonic  soiree  of  Mr.  Thomas  was  one  of 
the  finest  concerts  ever  given  in  New  York,  perhaps  the  best  as 
regards  the  works  which  formed  the  programme,  for  these 
were  Mozart's  'Figaro'  overture,  a  Schumann  pianoforte  con- 
certo, and  Beethoven's  Ninth  Symphony  entire In 

the  name  of  the  highest  interests  of  art,  Mr.  Thomas  deserves 
our  thanks  for  bringing  out  this  symphony;  with  energy  and 
industry  he  overcame  the  impediments  that  lie  in  the  way  of 
such  a  performance,  and  the  call  he  received  at  the  end  of  the 
evening  was  certainly  only  a  well-merited  recognition." 

The  third  season  of  the  soirees  is  particularly 
noteworthy  by  reason  of  Mr.  Thomas's  efforts  to  re- 
inforce the  orchestra  with  a  chorus,  the  beginning  of 
a  work  which  he  made  still  more  effective  with  the 


140  THEODORE  THOMAS 

Philharmonic  Societies  of  New  York  and  Brooklyn. 
His  words  in  the  announcement  for  the  season  are 
significant: 

"  No  well-directed  effort  has  yet  been  made  to  accomplish 
the  union  of  the  vocal  and  instrumental  forces  necessary  to 
success  in  this  important  and  unlimited  branch  of  art.  We 
have  had  and  still  have  well-trained  choral  societies  and 
orchestras,  but  owing  partly  to  local  relations  and  partly  to  the 
great  cost  of  an  orchestra,  a  union  of  these  forces  has  seldom 
or  never  been  effected.  Until  this  result  shall  have  been  per- 
manently secured,  we  have  no  right  to  claim  for  New  York  an 
advanced  position  with  regard  to  music,  nor  can  we  hope  to 
interest  the  people  generally  and  develop  properly  their  natural 
taste  for  the  art." 

The  soirees  were  discontinued  in  1869,  and  the 
concert  tours  began.  Mr.  Thomas  makes  frequent 
reference  to  them  in  his  part  of  this  work,  and  they 
need  no  further  mention,  except  in  connection  with 
a  few  incidents  which  illustrate  the  crude  ideas  of 
music  and  orchestral  playing  which  existed  thirty 
or  more  years  ago  in  various  parts  of  the  country. 

When  his  manager  was  canvassing  the  prospects 
for  a  concert  in  a  New  York  town  he  was  informed 
by  a  leading  citizen  that  the  "show"  wouldn't  pay 
much  unless  'Thomas  had  a  good  end  man."  In 
Utah  it  was  gravely  suggested  that  the  more  wedding 
marches  he  had  on  his  programmes  the  better.  At  a 
concert  in  an  Iowa  city  the  Boccherini  Minuet  was 
played,  as  usual,  pianissimo  and  con  sordini.  After 
the  concert,  Mr.  Thomas  was  entertained  at  dinner. 
When  the  conversation  turned  upon  the  Minuet,  the 
mayor  said,  with  considerable  emphasis:  "You  should 


REMINISCENCE  AND  APPRECIATION       141 

have  played  it  louder."  "But,"  said  Mr.  Thomas, 
'  'it  is  marked  pp."  '  'No  matter  if  it  is,"  replied  the 
municipal  critic,  '  'such  a  pretty  tune  deserves  to  be 
played  louder."  Upon  one  of  the  tours  the  orches- 
tra was  engaged  to  dedicate  a  Coliseum  in  an 
Illinois  city.  One  of  the  promoters,  in  closing  ar- 
rangements with  the  orchestra  manager,  suggested 
that  after  the  concert  the  floor  should  be  cleared  and 
the  orchestra  should  play  dances  for  the  crowd. 
When  informed  that  it  did  not  do  that  kind  of  work, 
the  promoter  seemed  greatly  surprised,  and  asked, 
'  'Why  not  ?  Can't  they  play  dances  well  enough  ?  " 
It  was  in  Keokuk,  Iowa,  that  Mr.  Thomas  met  with 
one  of  the  few  criticisms  which  he  cared  to  read,  and 
which  he  carefully  preserved,  and  once  showed  to  me 
as  a  specimen  of  honest  criticism.  The  programme 
for  the  concert  contained  in  succession  the  overture 
to  "Tannhauser,"  the  andante  movement  from  Bee- 
thoven's Fifth  Symphony,  and  Weber's  "Invitation 
to  the  Dance."  Under  the  latter  was  inscribed 
"Adapted  for  orchestra  by  Hector  Berlioz."  The 
critic,  evidently  supposing  that  the  inscription  in- 
cluded all  three  numbers,  wrote: 

"  The  first  piece  was  that  fine  trilogy  which  Hector  Berlioz, 
with  exquisite  art,  made  from  Wagner,  Beethoven,  and  Weber. 
The  thought  of  Hector  Berlioz  evidently,  in  arranging  the 
trilogy,  was  to  put  after  the  passionate  action  of  the  one  the 
ocean-like,  star-like,  measureless  calm  and  harmony  of  the 
symphony.  After  you  have  bathed  in  that  luxury  and  languor 
long  enough,  there  comes  Von  Weber's  'Invitation  to  the 
Dance.'  Oh!  there  has  been  nothing  heard  in  Keokuk  like 
that  trilogy  as  Thomas's  Orchestra  gives  it." 


142  THEODORE  THOMAS 

Mr.  Thomas  was  frequently  entertained  after  his 
concerts  by  prominent  people,  and  on  one  such  occa- 
sion he  asked  a  gentleman  who  had  been  at  the  con- 
cert how  he  enjoyed  it.  "Well,"  said  the  gentleman, 
"I  don't  know  much  about  music.  But,  I  tell  you 
what,  Mr.  Thomas,  the  way  those  violinists  turned 
over  the  leaves  all  at  once  is  one  of  the  most  remark- 
able things  I've  ever  seen." 

The  reader  must  not  infer  from  these  incidents 
that  the  Thomas  Orchestra  was  not  appreciated.  In 
many  places  there  was  unusual  eagerness  to  hear  its 
concerts.  This  was  the  case  at  Jackson,  Michigan. 
The  citizens  of  that  city  hailed  the  announcement  of 
a  concert  with  enthusiasm.  The  city  government 
also  was  on  the  alert,  as  will  be  apparent  from  the 
following  official  note  sent  by  the  Committee  on 
Licenses  to  the  City  Clerk: 

CAPT.  GEORGE  W.  STEVENSON: 

In  virtue  of  the  authority  given  to  us  by  the  Common 
Council  of  the  City  of  Jackson,  the  license  of  the  Theodore 
Thomas  Orchestra  troupe  is  hereby  revoked  unless  arrange- 
ments can  be  made  for  eighteen  tickets  for  the  Common  Coun- 
cil of  the  city. 

GEO.  A.  FOSTER,  Chairman. 
BENJ.  PORTER, 
J.  D.  BROWN. 

When  Captain  Stevenson  presented  this  "hold- 
up" note  to  the  suave  Gosche,  Mr.  Thomas1:  business 
manager,  he  was  received  with  the  blandest  courtesy. 
The  eighteen  tickets  were  handed  him  with  the  com- 
pliments of  the  management.  The  concert  was 


REMINISCENCE  AND  APPRECIATION       143 

given  in  the  Court  House.  The  court-room  was 
crowded  with  Jackson's  "beauty  and  chivalry."  Just 
as  the  orchestra  was  in  place,  and  Mr.  Thomas  had 
come  to  his  desk,  there  was  a  stir  in  the  rear  of  the 
hall.  The  Common  Councilmen  had  arrived.  They 
were  escorted  by  Mr.  Gosche  himself  to  the  seats 
their  tickets  called  for,  and  the  only  seats  left  in  the 
house  —  those  in  the  jury  box  and  the  prisoner's  pen, 
where  they  were  seen  conspicuously  by  the  audience, 
and  made  uncomfortable  by  its  unconcealed  enjoy- 
ment of  their  situation. 

The  symphony  soirees  were  resumed  in  1872, 
under  the  name  of  symphony  concerts.  In  reply  to 
the  invitation  of  a  large  number  of  music  lovers  Mr. 
Thomas  wrote :  '  'It  is  a  satisfaction  to  know  that  the 
remembrance  of  these  concerts  is  still  fresh  after  the 
lapse  of  three  years,  in  a  country  where  the  past  is  so 
soon  forgotten.  This  fact  speaks  for  the  influence 
they  have  had,  and  prompts  me  to  comply  with  your 
wish."  He  announced  six  concerts,  and  the  first  of 
these,  at  which  the  overture  to  Gluck's  '  'Iphigenia  in 
Aulis,"  Beethoven's  Seventh  Symphony,  "Wotan's 
Farewell,"  from  "Die  Walkiire,"  and  Liszt's  "Me- 
phisto  Waltz,"  besides  songs  by  Mr.  George  L.  Os- 
good,  were  given,  is  particularly  noteworthy  because 
for  the  first  time  Mr.  Thomas  used  regularly  anno- 
tated programmes.  The  symphony  concerts,  how- 
ever, were  not  long  continued.  They  did  not  receive 
a  support  which  justified  the  expectation  of  making 
the  orchestra  permanent,  much  less  of  securing  a 
permanent  home  for  it.  It  was  apparent  to  him  that 


144  THEODORE  THOMAS 

his  work  must  proceed  upon  other  lines.  One  of 
these  was  the  Brooklyn  Philharmonic  Society,  with 
which  he  had  been  associated  as  conductor,  directly 
and  alternately,  for  several  years. 

VI 

THE  BROOKLYN  PHILHARMONIC  SOCIETY 

/~I~VHE  Brooklyn  Philharmonic  Society  was  organ- 
•*-  ized  in  1857,  and  Theodore  Eisfeld  was  its  first 
conductor.  Mr.  Thomas  always  referred  to  its  con- 
certs with  great  pleasure.  While  engaged  in  selecting 
and  editing  his  programmes,  it  seemed  to  me  that  the 
Brooklyn  Philharmonic  programmes  were  among  the 
most  important  in  the  collection,  and  I  asked  him 
whether  it  would  not  be  well  to  print  them  complete. 
He  replied  that  the  Brooklyn  concerts  were  always 
a  satisfaction  to  him,  and  he  would  be  pleased  if  all 
the  programmes  were  included.  He  added  that  the 
Brooklyn  people  were  always  very  friendly  and  appre- 
ciative, and  that  without  their  patronage  it  would 
have  been  difficult  to  keep  up  his  New  York  concerts. 
From  1862  to  1865  Mr.  Thomas  alternated  with 
Eisfeld  and  other  conductors.  A  letter  in  "Dwight's 
Journal  of  Music,"  November  8,  1862,  written  by  a 
Brooklyn  man,  says: 

"  In  your  paper  of  last  Saturday  you  make  Mr.  Theodore 
Thomas  our  conductor  in  toto,  which  is  not  exactly  correct.  It 
is  the  intention  of  the  directors  (as  far  as  I  can  learn)  to  choose 
a  conductor  for  each  concert,  not  for  the  whole  season,  as  here- 
tofore. Mr.  Eisfeld  was  elected  by  acclamation  for  the  concert 
of  Saturday,  and  never  did  he  acquit  himself  more  brilliantly 


REMINISCENCE  AND  APPRECIATION       145 

or  carefully.  For  the  second  concert,  conducted  by  Theodore 
Thomas,  the  talented  violinist  of  the  classical  firm  of  Mason 
and  Thomas,  and  a  very  skilful  and  able  director,  although 
young,  ardent,  and  progressive  (good  faults  such  are),  we  are 
to  have  the  following  orchestral  pieces:  Symphony  No.  i,  C 
major  (first  time),  Beethoven ;  overture,  'Struensee,'  with  chorus, 
Meyerbeer;  overture,  'Dreams  on  Christmas  Eve,'  Hiller." 

Mr.  Thomas  was  conductor  for  the  season  of 
1866-67,  and  at  the  close  of  the  season  the  Society 
passed  the  following  resolution : 

"Resolved,  That  the  thanks  of  this  Society  are  eminently 
due  Mr.  Theodore  Thomas  for  the  great  ability  and  untiring 
energy  displayed  by  him  the  past  season  in  conducting  to  a  most 
successful  issue  the  rehearsals  and  concerts  of  this  Society." 

The  directors  sent  him  the  resolution  and  with  it 
a  handsome  baton. 

As  this  was  Mr.  Thomas's  first  regular  season 
with  the  Brooklyn  Philharmonic,  the  programme  of 
his  first  concert,  October  27,  1866,  is  appended: 

1.  Symphony  No.  i,  D  major,  op.  31, "  Columbus" ././.  Abert. 

[First  time  in  America.] 

2.  Cavatina,  "Una  donna,"  from  "The  Hugue- 

nots"      Meyerbeer. 

Miss  Adelaide  Phillipps. 

3.  Solo  for  oboe,  "Scene  et  Ballet"        .        .          De  Beriot. 

Mr.  Eller. 

4.  Overture,  "Leonora,"  No.  3        ...      Beethoven. 

5.  Fantasia  for  harp,  "Un  Ballo  in  Maschera"     .    Toulmin. 

Mr.  Toulmin. 

6.  Cuban  Song,  "Maria  Dolores"     .         .         .         Yradier. 

Miss  Phillipps. 

7.  "Ritter  March" Schubert. 

[First  time  in  America.] 


146  THEODORE  THOMAS 

At  the  close  of  the  sixteenth  season  (1874),  the 
directors  tendered  Mr.  Thomas  a  complimentary 
concert. 

In  1878  Mr.  Thomas's  conductorship  was  inter- 
rupted for  a  time  by  his  removal  to  Cincinnati  to 
assume  the  duties  of  conductor  of  the  College  of 
Music  in  that  city.  On  the  eve  of  his  departure, 
prominent  citizens  of  New  York  and  Brooklyn  ten- 
dered him  a  farewell  concert,  for  which  he  made  a 
programme  which  was  ever  afterwards  a  favorite 
with  him.  Its  chief  interest  lies  in  the  fact  that  upon 
this  occasion  he  gave  Brahms's  Second  Symphony  its 
first  performance  in  this  country.  The  programme 
was  as  follows: 

1.  Overture, "  Coriolanus, "  op.  62     .         .         .      Beethoven. 

2.  "Der  Doppelganger" Schubert. 

Mr.  Franz  Remmertz. 

3.  Symphony  No.  2,  D  minor,  op.  73  [first  time]     .    Brahms. 

4.  Fantaisie  on  Hungarian  Airs         ....    Liszt. 

Mr.  Max  Pinner. 

5.  "Wotan's  Farewell"  )  .. 

«A/r    •    ir-     c        »  r  Walkiire"  •         •        •     Wagner. 
"Magic  Fire  Scene'  } 

Mr.  Thomas  soon  left  Cincinnati,  for  reasons  ex- 
plained elsewhere,  and  returned  to  the  East,  though 
during  the  time  spent  in  that  city  he  was  permitted 
to  go  to  New  York  and  conduct  the  Philharmonic 
concerts.  Among  the  important  features  of  the 
remaining  concerts  with  the  Brooklyn  Philharmonic 
were  the  performance  of  Beethoven's  Fifth  Sym- 
phony, scenes  from  "Rheingold,"  and  "Siegfried's 
Death,"  with  an  orchestra  of  one  hundred  and  twenty 


REMINISCENCE  AND  APPRECIATION       147 

pieces,  at  the  close  of  the  twenty- fourth  season;  "The 
Messiah,"  and  Gounod's  "Redemption"  in  the 
twenty-fifth  season;  Bach's  "Christmas  Oratorio," 
Mozart's  "Requiem,"  and  Liszt's  "Saint  Elizabeth" 
in  the  twenty-seventh;  and  Gounod's  "Mors  et 
Vita,"  and  Dvorak's  "Spectre's  Bride"  in  the  twenty- 
eighth. 

Season  after  season  brought  its  splendid  array  of 
programmes,  but  at  a  concert  given  April  18,  1891, 
the  programme  contained  the  following  announce- 
ment: 

"The  engagement  of  Mr.  Theodore  Thomas  as  Musical 
Director  of  the  Philharmonic  Society  of  Brooklyn  terminates 
with  this  concert,  in  consequence  of  his  departure  to  Chicago. 
The  directors  make  this  announcement  with  sincere  regret.  Mr. 
Thomas  has  served  the  Society  as  its  conductor  for  more  than 
twenty  years.  Its  most  brilliant  and  most  prosperous  seasons 
have  been  given  under  his  management.  The  Society  thanks 
him  for  his  generous  devotion  to  its  highest  interests.  It 
wishes  for  him  the  greatest  success  in  his  new  field  of  duty, 
and  it  bids  him  an  affectionate  farewell." 

There  can  be  no  doubt  as  to  the  sincerity  of  this 
expression,  or  of  Mr.  Thomas's  hearty  appreciation 
of  it.  He  always  cherished  the  memories  of  his 
Brooklyn  Philharmonic  period,  and  in  our  consulta- 
tions always  spoke  of  it  in  a  manner  which  showed 
he  looked  back  to  it  with  the  same  affectionate  regard 
which  his  Brooklyn  friends  entertained  for  him. 


148  THEODORE  THOMAS 

VII 

THE  NEW  YORK  PHILHARMONIC  SOCIETY 

]\/[R.  THOMAS  has  said  that  he  accepted  the 
•*•  conductorship  of  the  New  York  Philharmonic 
Society  because  he  thought  the  musical  interests  of 
that  city  would  be  better  cared  for  by  a  society  than  by 
an  individual.  That  readers  who  are  unfamiliar  with 
the  venerable  New  York  Philharmonic  may  under- 
stand this  more  clearly,  some  of  the  details  of  the 
peculiar  system  or  organization  should  be  stated. 
Again,  as  his  connection  with  that  Society  was  one 
of  the  leading  events  of  his  long  career,  a  brief 
sketch  of  its  history  may  not  be  out  of  place.1 

The  Society  was  founded  in  April,  1842;  its  first 
concert  was  given  December  7  of  that  year,  but  it 
was  not  incorporated  until  1853.  Its  first  officers 
were:  U.  C.  Hill,  president;  A.  Reiff,  vice-president; 
F.  C.  Rosier,  secretary;  A.  Dodworth,  treasurer,  and 
W.  Wood,  librarian.  The  governing  body  also  in- 
cludes the  conductor,  who  is  elected  by  the  mem- 
bers. The  conductors  for  the  first  season  were  U.  C. 
Hill,  H.  C.  Timm,  and  Mr.  Etienne.  How  the 
finances  of  the  Society  are  administered  is  explained 
by  the  first  section  of  its  constitution : 

"SEC.  i.  After  the  last  regular  concert  of  each  season  the 
Board  of  Directors  shall,  after  defraying  or  providing  for  all 
expenses  of  the  Society,  divide  among  the  actual  performing 
members  of  the  season  thus  passed,  the  funds  remaining  in  the 

'For  many  of  these  facts  I  am  indebted  to  the  History  of 
the  Philharmonic  Society,  published  a  few  years  ago. — EDR. 


REMINISCENCE  AND   APPRECIATION       149 

hands  of  the  treasurer  with  the  exception  of  a  small  balance 
that  is  to  be  carried  over  to  the  next  season;  each  performing 
member  shall  receive  his  full  dividend  or  part  of  the  same 
according  to  the  time  of  attendance." 

It  will  be  seen  from  this  that  the  Society  is  on  a 
cooperative  basis,  and  is  probably  the  oldest  coop- 
erative organization  in  the  country.  During  the  first 
ten  seasons,  ending  in  1853,  the  Society  had  two, 
and  sometimes  three,  conductors  in  a  single  concert. 
From  the  tenth  to  the  thirty-sixth  season,  when  Mr. 
Thomas  was  elected,  the  list  of  conductors  was  as 
follows : 

Eleventh  season,  1852-53,  Theodore  Eisfeld. 
Twelfth  season,  1853-54,  Theodore  Eisfeld. 
Thirteenth  season,  1854-55,  Eisfeld  and  Timm. 
Fourteenth  season,  1855-56,  Carl  Bergmann. 
Fifteenth  season,  1856-57,  Theodore  Eisfeld. 
Sixteenth  season,  1857-58,  Theodore  Eisfeld. 
Seventeenth  season,  1858-59,  Carl  Bergmann. 
Eighteenth  season,  1859-60,  Bergmann  and  Eisfeld. 
Nineteenth  season,  1 860-61,  Bergmann  and  Eisfeld. 
Twentieth  season,  1861-62,  Bergmann  and  Eisfeld. 
Twenty-first  season,  1862-63,  Bergmann  and  Eisfeld. 
Twenty-second  season,  1864-65,  Bergmann  and  Eisfeld. 
Twenty-third  to  thirty-fourth,  1865-76,  Bergmann. 
Thirty-fifth  season,  1876-77,  Leopold  Damrosch. 

At  the  close  of  the  thirty-fifth  season  the  Society 
was  in  a  critical  situation.  Musically  and  financially 
its  affairs  were  at  a  low  ebb,  while  Mr,  Thomas's 
symphony  concerts  were  flourishing.  As  Mr.  Thomas 
says,  there  was  no  rivalry  between  the  two  organiza- 
tions. There  could  be  none.  It  was  pretty  certain, 


150  THEODORE  THOMAS 

however,  that  unless  there  should  come  a  change,  one 
of  the  two  must  go  under,  and  there  was  little  doubt 
which  of  the  two  it  would  be.  In  this  emergency  the 
Philharmonic  people  invited  Mr.  Thomas  to  take  the 
conductorship.  After  giving  the  invitation  careful 
consideration,  he  promptly  and  magnanimously  de- 
cided to  give  up  his  flourishing  symphony  concerts, 
and  rescue  the  old-established  Philharmonic  institu- 
tion from  its  low  estate  and  make  it  again  a  power 
for  music  in  New  York.  He  at  once  increased  the 
orchestra  by  reinforcements  from  his  old  symphony 
players,  and  gave  his  first  concert  November  24, 1877, 
the  programme  including  the  overture  to  Cherubini's 
"Les  Deux  Journees,"  Beethoven's  "Pastoral"  Sym- 
phony, selections  from  Schumann's  "Manfred,"  and 
Liszt's  symphonic  poem,  "Mazeppa."  S.  B.  Mills, 
the  pianist,  played  the  Raff  suite,  op.  200,  for  the  first 
time  in  this  country.  The  next  year  found  Mr. 
Thomas  in  Cincinnati,  and  Adolph  Neuendorf!  was 
conductor,  but  in  the  thirty-eighth  season  he  came 
to  New  York  for  each  concert,  and  in  the  thirty-ninth 
returned  for  residence,  and  was  conductor  until  the 
close  of  the  forty-ninth  season,  in  1891,  when  he  came 
to  Chicago,  and  Anton  Seidl  took  his  place.  What 
had  he  done  in  the  meantime  for  the  finances  of  the 
Society  ?  The  treasurer's  evidence  on  this  point  is 
convincing.  Here  is  his  statement  of  receipts  and 
dividends  from  the  twenty-fourth  season  to  the  forty- 
ninth,  Mr.  Thomas's  last: 


THEODORE  THOMAS  IN  1880 


REMINISCENCE  AND  APPRECIATION       151 


24th  season 

1865-66 

25th  season 

1866-67 

26th  season 

1867-68 

27th  season 

1868-69 

28th  season 

1869-70 

29th  season 

1870-71 

3oth  season 

1871-72 

3ist  season 

1872-73 

32d  season 

1873-74 

33d  season 

1874-75 

34th  season 

1875-76 

35th  season 

1876-77 

36th  season 

1877-78 

37th  season 

1878-79 

38th  season 

1879-80 

39th  season 

1880-81 

4oth  season 

1881-82 

4ist  season 

1882-83 

42d  season 

1883-84 

43d  season 

1884-85 

44th  season 

1885-86 

45th  season 

1886-87 

46th  season 

1887-88 

47th  season 

1888-89 

48th  season 

1889-90 

49th  season 

1890-91 

Carl  Bergmann 
Carl  Bergmann 
Carl  Bergmann 
Carl  Bergmann 
Carl  Bergmann 
Carl  Bergmann 
Carl  Bergmann 
Carl  Bergmann 
Carl  Bergmann 
Carl  Bergmann 
Carl  Bergmann 
Leopold  Damrosch 
Theodore  Thomas 
Adolph  Neuendorf? 
Theodore  Thomas 
Theodore  Thomas 
Theodore  Thomas 
Theodore  Thomas 
Theodore  Thomas 
Theodore  Thomas 
Theodore  Thomas 
Theodore  Thomas 
Theodore  Thomas 
Theodore  Thomas 
Theodore  Thomas 
Theodore  Thomas 


Divi- 

Receipts 

dends 

$  6,441 

$  95 

3,923 

70 

6,163 

70 

14,255 

156 

12,75° 

150 

i5,°85 

203 

15,480 

216 

13,830 

180 

9,45° 

126 

3,212 

75 

1,641 

30 

841 

18 

6,402 

82 

1,493 

25 

8,714 

123^ 

i°,73° 

132 

12,913 

*54 

15,933 

195 

16,022 

^•95 

i7,9J4 

223 

16,066 

200 

15,562 

225 

14,168 

168 

14,962 

189 

200 


Mr.  Thomas  rehabilitated  the  finances  of  the 
Society,  but,  what  is  far  more  important  than  this, 
he  restored  its  prestige,  infused  management  and 
members  with  something  of  his  own  energy  and  spirit, 
and  raised  its  standard.  It  is  curious  to  read  now, 
when  Mr.  Thomas's  method  of  rehearsing  by  choirs, 
sections,  and  even  individuals  is  so  well  known,  this 


152  THEODORE  THOMAS 

statement  in  "Harper's  Weekly,"  written  about  this 
period : 

''During  the  season  after  Mr.  Thomas's  return  from  Cin- 
cinnati, the  Philharmonic  gave  a  performance  of  Beethoven's 
Eighth  Symphony,  which  was  remarkable  for  the  delicacy  and 
absolute  precision  of  the  violins  in  the  scherzo.  After  the  con- 
cert a  member  of  the  orchestra  told  me  that  during  the  inter- 
mission the  conductor  had  called  the  violinists  into  the  green- 
room and  made  them  play  over  their  part  of  the  scherzo  several 
times." 

In  an  interview  in  1882  Mr.  Thomas  gave  ex- 
pression to  what  he  called  the  "Philharmonic  Creed," 
though  all  the  musical  work  of  his  life  was  planned 
and  executed  in  accordance  with  the  tenets  of  this 
creed.  It  contains  the  very  core  of  his  musical  be- 
lief —  the  principles  which  he  held  sacred  —  the 
Alpha  and  Omega  of  his  life  work.  It  reads: 

"To  endeavor  always  to  form  a  refined  musical  taste 
among  the  people  by  the  intelligent  selection  of  music;  to  give, 
in  order  to  accomplish  the  desired  result,  only  standard  works, 
both  of  the  new  and  old  masters,  and  to  be  thus  conservative 
and  not  given  to  experimenting  with  the  new  musical  sensa- 
tions of  the  hour.  I  may  exemplify  this  further  by  saying  that 
while  Berlioz,  Liszt,  Rubinstein,  Brahms,  and  others  may  be, 
and  will  be  given,  such  masters  are  never  allowed  representa- 
tion to  the  exclusion,  even  in  a  degree,  of  Beethoven  and 
Mozart.  Nor  would  the  first  mentioned  be  permitted  on  the 
programme  if  the  great  symphonies  were  not  thoroughly 
understood  by  the  public." 

It  may  be  interesting  here  to  note  some  of  the 
significant  events  growing  out  of  Mr.  Thomas's  rela- 
tions, active  and  otherwise,  with  this  Philharmonic 


REMINISCENCE  AND  APPRECIATION       153 

Society.  He  was  elected  an  active  member  in  1853, 
being  then  in  his  eighteenth  year,  and  played  in  the 
ranks  until  1858,  when  he  resigned  his  membership. 
Thereafter  he  occasionally  played  as  soloist  at  its 
concerts.  At  the  first  concert  of  the  twenty-third 
season,  November  5,  1864,  for  instance,  he  played  the 
Mendelssohn  Concerto,  op.  64.  In  1866  "Dwight's 
Journal  of  Music"  contains  a  hint  of  incipient  rivalry 
between  the  Thomas  Orchestra  and  the  Philhar- 
monic. It  says  (October  13): 

"The  Philharmonic,  with  Bergmann  for  conductor,  has 
made  up  its  programmes  for  the  five  subscription  concerts. 
The  first  public  rehearsal  takes  place  October  20,  the  same  day 
on  which  Theodore  Thomas  gives  his  first  symphonic  soiree. 
The  'Neue  New  Yorker  Musik  Zeitung'  intimates  that  the  suc- 
cess of  this  enterprising  young  rival  has  prompted  the  symp- 
toms of  progress  shown  by  the  older  society  in  the  Liszt, 
Wagner,  Berlioz  selections  above  named.  Certainly  the  pro- 
grammes of  both  parties  have  many  novelties  in  common.  But 
Thomas  is  the  bolder  of  the  two,  and  has  undertaken  to  do  in 
five  concerts  work  that  might  well  tax  the  energy  of  an  orches- 
tra for  a  couple  of  years.  He  makes  the  production  of  great 
orchestral  works  with  chorus  the  special  mark  of  his  ambition 
this  year." 

In  1868  Mr.  Thomas  played  at  the  last  concert 
of  the  season  (April  1 8)  the  Beethoven  Concerto,  op.  61. 
In  1871  there  was  great  need  of  Mr.  Thomas's  dis- 
cipline and  mastery  in  the  Philharmonic  ranks.  Berg- 
mann was  then  the  conductor,  but  he  was  already  in 
his  decadence.  A  critic  says  of  one  of  its  concerts: 

"In  the  'Overture,  Scherzo,  and  Finale'  by  Schumann, 
there  was  some  unusually  crude  and  slovenly  playing.  There 


154  THEODORE  THOMAS 

were  times  when  belated  instruments  were  heard  coming  in 
after  each  other  at  a  pause,  and  there  was  also  a  general  lack 
of  finish  in  much  that  was  done.  This  was  the  more  notice- 
able by  contrast  with  the  recent  concerts  given  by  Theodore 
Thomas's  orchestra,  which  were,  in  every  respect,  superior  to 
those  of  the  Philharmonic  Society." 

The  troubles  of  the  Philharmonic,  however, 
began  to  disappear  in  1879.  In  May  of  that  year 
"The  New  York  Tribune"  contained  the  following 
statement : 

"The  New  York  Philharmonic  Society  is  to  be  congratu- 
lated. At  the  annual  election,  held  yesterday,  Mr.  Theodore 
Thomas  was  unanimously  elected  conductor.  On  the  first 
ballot  the  vote  stood  fifty-four  for  Thomas,  nine  for  Damrosch, 
and  six  for  Neuendorff.  The  minority  subsequently  changed 
their  votes  so  that  Mr.  Thomas  became  the  choice  of  the  whole 
Society.  Mr.  Julius  Hallgarten  was  elected  president;  Mr. 
Boehn  retains  the  vice-presidency,  and  the  Board  of  Directors, 
we  understand,  is  not  changed  except  that  Messrs.  Brandt  and 
Arnold  replace  two  of  the  older  members.  The  directors  will 
soon  have  a  conference  with  Mr.  Thomas,  and  it  will  then  be 
determined  whether  arrangements  can  be  made  to  permit  of 
his  accepting  the  conductor  ship." 

The  conference  was  held,  the  symphonic  concerts 
were  given  up,  and  Mr.  Thomas  became  conductor 
of  the  New  York  Philharmonic  Society,  a  position 
he  held  for  thirteen  seasons,  resigning  it  when  a  call 
came  from  Chicago,  which  he  could  not  resist. 
Those  thirteen  seasons  were  the  golden  days  of  the 
Philharmonic.  They  include  seventy-eight  concerts 
and  the  same  number  of  public  rehearsals.  The  fol- 
lowing list  of  symphonies,  with  the  number  of  times 


REMINISCENCE  AND  APPRECIATION       155 

performed,  shows  the  rich  profusion  of  music  in  his 
programmes : 

Beethoven  —  Second,  i;  third,  5;  fourth,  5;  fifth,  4;  sixth, 
5;  seventh,  4;  eighth,  4;  ninth,  3. 

Mozart  —  D,  2;  G  minor,  4;  C,  2;  E  flat,  i. 

Brahms  —  First,  2;  second,  2;  third,  i;  fourth,  i. 

Schubert  —  Eighth,  3 ;  ninth,  4. 

Schumann  —  First,  4;  second,  4;  third,  3;  fourth,  3. 

Haydn  —  B  flat,  i ;  D  major,  i ;  E  flat,  2 ;  G  major,  i. 

Rafi  —  "Im  Walde,"  3;  "Lenore,"  i. 

Rubinstein  —  "Ocean,"  3;  "Dramatic,"  3;  fifth,  i. 

Cowen —  "Scandinavian,"  i;  "Welsh,"  i. 

Dvorak  —  D,  2;  D  minor,  i. 

Tschaikowsky  —  "Manfred,"  i;  fifth,  2. 

Berlioz's  "Harold  in  Italy,"  Liszt's  "Faust,"  Huber's 
"Tell,"  Strauss's  F  minor,  Scharwenka's  C  minor,  Scholtz's 
B  flat,  Bruckner's  seventh,  Saint-Saens's  third,  Mendelssohn's 
fourth,  Franchetti's  E  minor,  Goldmark's  second,  and  Spohr's 
"Consecration  of  Tones,"  i  each. 

The  works  produced  for  the  first  time  in  this  coun- 
try were: 

Suite  for  piano  and  orchestra,  op.  200,  Raff;  "Tragic  Over- 
ture," Brahms;  overture,  "Demetrius,"  Rheinberger;  Second 
piano  concerto,  Tschaikowsky;  Fifth  symphony,  Rubinstein; 
"Tell"  symphony,  Hubert '/'Scandinavian,"  symphony,  Cowen; 
vorspiel  to  "Parsifal,"  Wagner;  Symphony  in  D,  Dvorak; 
Serenade  in  G,  Villiers-Stanford ;  "Husitzka  Overture," 
Dvorak;  F  minor  Symphony,  Strauss;  symphonic  variations, 
Nicode;  "Welsh"  symphony,  Cowen;  prologue  to  "Othello," 
Krug;  "Scherzo  Capriccioso,"  Dvorak;  C  minor  symphony, 
Scharwenka;  D  minor  symphony,  Dvorak;  B  flat  symphony, 
Scholtz;  Seventh,  Bruckner;  "Manfred"  symphony,  Tschai- 
kowsky; Third  and  fourth  symphonies,  Brahms;  Third  sym- 
phony, Saint-Saens ;  E  minor  symphony,  Franchetti ;  E  flat  sym- 


156  THEODORE  THOMAS 

phony,  Goldmark;  overture,  "Twelfth  Night,"  Mackenzie; 
Suite  No.  2,  Moszkowski;  "Prometheus  Bound,"  Goldmark; 
"Antony  and  Cleopatra,"  overture,  Rubinstein;  fantaisie 
overture,  "Hamlet,"  Tschaikowsky. 

The  solo  artists  who  appeared  during  these  thir- 
teen seasons  were: 

Pianists,  S.  B.  Mills,  Franz  Rummel,  Hermann  Rietzel, 
Rafael  Joseffy,  Madeline  Schiller,  Carl  Baermann,  Richard 
Hoffman,  Carl  Faelten,  Adele  Aus  der  Ohe,  and  Fanny  Bloom- 
field-Zeisler. 

Violinists  —  John  F.  Rhodes,  Maud  Powell,  Camilla  Urso, 
and  Leopold  Lichtenberg. 

Violoncellists  —  F.  Bergner  and  F.  Giese. 

Sopranos  —  Mathilde  Wilde,  Eugenie  Pappenheim,  Alwina 
Valleria,  E.  Aline  Osgood,  Emma  Thursby,  Agnes  B.  Hunt- 
ington,  Mme.  Fursch-Madi,  Louise  Pyk,  Helene  Hastreiter, 
Emma  Juch,  Lilli  Lehmann,  Laura  Moore,  Miss  Griswold, 
Frau  Schroeder-Hanfstangl,  Clementine  de  Vere,  Frau  Ritter- 
Goetze. 

Altos  —  Emily  Winant,  Antonia  Henne,  Helen  D.  Camp- 
bell. 

Tenors  —  Italo  Campanini,  W.  C.  Tower,  William  Can- 
didus,  William  H.  Rieger. 

Baritones  —  Antonio  Galassi,  George  Henschel,  Emil 
Scaria,  Alonzo  E.  Stoddard,  Theodore  Reichmann. 

Bassos  —  Franz  Remmertz,  William  Ludwig,  Emil  Fischer. 

Great  as  was  this  work,  and  fine  as  were  these 
programmes,  greater  work  and  finer  programmes 
were  to  come  in  Chicago  and  Cincinnati  during  the 
next  thirteen  years. 


REMINISCENCE  AND  APPRECIATION       157 

VIII 
A  NATIONAL  TESTIMONIAL 

TN  1889  a  series  of  testimonial  concerts  was  ten- 
dered  Mr.  Thomas.  He  had  made  tours  through 
the  country  for  twenty  years,  with  varying  success 
financially,  but  with  musical  results  of  a  solid  and 
enduring  character.  The  seed  which  he  had  sown 
so  carefully  and  so  hopefully  had  already  reached  its 
blossom,  and  in  many  places  its  fruitage.  His  great 
musical  skill  was  everywhere  recognized.  His  edu- 
cational work  was  prospering.  His  concerts  were  no 
longer  looked  upon  as  mere  amusements.  Person- 
ally he  was  everywhere  respected  for  his  courageou? 
and  honest  devotion  to  the  cause  of  good  music. 
Even  those  who  did  not  thoroughly  understand  his 
work  were  proud  of  it  when  they  saw  that  European 
artists  were  eager  to  appear  at  his  concerts,  and  Euro- 
pean composers  were  equally  eager  that  he  should 
perform  their  new  works.  When,  therefore,  a  series 
of  testimonial  concerts  was  proposed,  the  sugges- 
tion met  with  a  quick  and  cordial  response.  In  this 
connection  it  is  significant  to  note  that  the  proposi- 
tion was  first  made  by  a  gentleman  in  Minneapolis, 
who  wrote  to  "The  New  York  Tribune,"  April  22, 
1889,  as  follows: 

"Understand  that  no  benefit  scheme  is  contemplated  by 
this  suggestion.  Mr.  Thomas  would  be  the  first  to  turn  his 
back  upon  such  a  proposition.  Let  him  simply  take  his 
orchestra  and  give,  in  the  various  cities,  as  he  always  does,  a 


158  THEODORE  THOMAS 

quid  pro  quo  and  more,  for  all  he  receives,  but  let  the  tour  be 
understood  to  be  a  distinctive  opportunity  for  the  people  to 
testify  the  high  estimation  they  place  upon  Mr.  Thomas's  life- 
work  in  behalf  of  the  music  of  his  country.  If  Mr.  Thomas 
doubts  there  is  a  deep  feeling  of  regard  for  him  among  the 
musicians  and  people  of  America,  and  that,  whatever  may  be 
said  of  the  sharp  points  of  his  character,  they  are  ready  to 
testify  it,  let  him  give  them  the  opportunity  in  the  way  I 
suggest." 

The  first  response  to  this  suggestion  came  two 
weeks  later  from  the  Brooklyn  Philharmonic  Soci- 
ety, which  was  always  to  the  fore  in  everything 
pertaining  to  its  leader.  It  heartily  seconded  the 
Minneapolis  suggestion,  and  hoped  the  tour  would 
be  made  in  October,  and  that  Brooklyn  would  be 
included.  These  hopes  were  fully  realized,  and  the 
Brooklyn  Philharmonic  Society's  programme  was 
one  of  the  most  noteworthy  of  the  tour.  New  York 
City  spoke  next.  Boston  and  other  leading  cities 
fell  in  line,  and  even  many  of  the  smaller  towns 
expressed  a  desire  to  participate  in  the  testimonial. 
In  the  light  of  what  occurred  two  years  later,  the 
following  utterance  of  "The  Chicago  Tribune,"  May 
19,  foreshadows  Mr.  Thomas's  important  change: 
"  Should  it  eventuate  in  securing  Mr.  Thomas  as 
our  orchestra  leader  in  the  near  future,  it  will  be  a 
consummation  devoutly  to  be  wished,  and  it  will 
place  Chicago  on  a  secure  and  prosperous  musical 
footing."  In  this  case,  at  least,  the  old  saying,  "a 
prophet  is  not  without  honor  save  in  his  own  coun- 
try," was  reversed.  George  William  Curtis,  the 


REMINISCENCE  AND  APPRECIATION       159 

distinguished  editor  and  scholar,  and  a  staunch  friend 
and  supporter  of  Mr.  Thomas,  wrote  the  invitation, 
for  the  New  York  Testimonial  Concert,  which  I 
append,  because  the  dignity  and  high  character  of 
its  signers  make  it  one  of  the  most  valuable  tributes 
Mr.  Thomas  ever  received: 

THEODORE  THOMAS,  ESQ., 

DEAR  SIR: — Learning  that  you  have  been  invited  to  un- 
dertake a  series  of  concerts  in  various  parts  of  the  country 
during  the  next  autumn,  we  desire  to  express  to  you  our  sin- 
cere interest  in  the  enterprise  proposed,  to  assure  you  of  our 
heartiest  good  wishes  for  its  complete  success,  and  to  ask  that 
New  York,  which  is  your  home  and  the  scene  of  your  most 
arduous  labors,  may  be  included  among  the  cities  which  are  to 
share  the  opportunity  of  showing  their  appreciation  of  your 
v/ork.  In  this  centennial  year  of  national  pride  and  joy,  not 
the  least  pleasant  reason  of  general  congratulation  is  the  growth 
and  development  of  a  taste  for  the  higher  forms  of  art,  because 
this  taste  is  one  of  the  powerful  forces  to  which  we  must  look 
for  the  necessary  chastening  of  the  material  and  commercial 
spirit,  which  has  thus  far  largely  dominated  American  progress. 
Among  these  forces  none  is  more  popular  or  more  effective  than 
music;  and  in  the  education  and  elevation  of  musical  taste  in 
this  country,  no  individual  influence  is  more  universally  ac- 
knowledged, and  none  is  more  distinctive,  constant,  intelli- 
gent, and  effective,  than  yours. 

Your  public  service  of  this  kind  has  been  so  signal  that  to 
call  attention  to  it  on  the  eve  of  a  tour  such  as  is  contemplated, 
is  but  to  refresh  the  grateful  memory  of  lovers  and  students  of 
music  throughout  the  country,  and  to  secure  their  cordial  co- 
operation in  earnestly  promoting  the  success  of  the  projected 
series  of  popular  concerts  which  will  be  peculiarly  significant 
among  our  centennial  commemorations  as  illustrating  in  them- 


i6o 


THEODORE  THOMAS 


selves  the  character  and  degree  of  the  advance  of  the  pubh'c 
taste,  knowledge,  and  skill  in  music. 

With  sincere  regards,  we  are,  dear  sir, 

Respectfully  yours, 


LEVI  P.  MORTON, 
CARL  SCHURZ, 
WM.  M.  EVARTS, 
HORACE  WHITE, 
THEODORE  ROOSEVELT, 
HENRY  HOLT, 
EDMUND  C.  STEDMAN, 

C.  L.  TIFFANY, 
W.  D.  HOWELLS, 
R.  W.  GILDER, 
R.  M.  HUNT, 

GEORGE  WILLIAM  CURTIS, 
CHAUNCEY  M.  DEPEW, 
WARNER  MILLER, 
JOSEPH  H.  CHOATE, 
J.  PIERPONT  MORGAN, 

D.  HUNTINGTON, 
JOHN  BIGELOW, 

HjALMAR  H.  BOYESEN, 


C.  VANDERBILT, 
CYRUS  W.  FIELD, 
HENRY  VILLARD, 
R.  G.  INGERSOLL, 
CALVIN  S.  BRICE, 
GROVER  CLEVELAND, 
C.  A.  DANA, 
W.  R.  GRACE, 
PARKE  GODWIN, 
F.  R.  COUDERT, 
HOWARD  CROSBY, 
ROBERT  COLLYER, 
AUGUSTUS  ST.  GAUDENS, 
BRANDER  MATTHEWS, 
MONCURE  D.  CONWAY, 
C.  P.  HUNTINGTON, 
ANDREW  CARNEGIE, 
WILLIAM  STEINWAY, 
and  many  others. 


The  tour  began  October  9,  1889,  in  Brooklyn, 
Joseffy,  the  pianist,  accompanying  the  orchestra  as 
soloist,  and  concerts  were  given  at  the  following 
places,  in  the  order  named :  Brooklyn,  Poughkeepsie, 
Albany  (the  concert  in  Albany  occurred  on  his  birth- 
day, which  was  made  all  the  more  pleasant  to  him  by 
the  receipt  of  telegraphic  congratulations  from  all 
parts  of  the  country),  Utica,  Buffalo,  Erie,  Cleveland, 
Toledo,  Detroit,  Saginaw,  Grand  Rapids,  Jackson, 
Indianapolis,  Chicago,  Decatur,  Louisville,  Colum- 
bus, Pittsburg,  Philadelphia,  Wilkesbarre,  and 


REMINISCENCE  AND  APPRECIATION       161 


New  York.  The  concert  in  New  York  was  given 
November  6,  and  its  programme  will  be  found  else- 
where. For  this  concert  Mr.  Thomas  prepared  two 
programmes  and  submitted  them  to  the  committee  of 
invitation  for  their  choice.  To  complete  the  history 
of  the  testimonial  tour  I  present  both: 

No.  i. 

Overture,  "The  Flying  Dutchman"      ..        .        .      Wagner. 

Adagio,  "Prometheus" Beethoven. 

[Violoncello  Obligate  by  Mr.  Victor  Herbert.] 
Invitation  to  the  Dance          ....    Weber-Berlioz. 

Concerto,  E  minor Chopin-Tausig. 

Mr.  Rafael  Joseffy. 

a.  Fugue  in  A  Minor Bach. 

b.  Theme  and  variations  .....         Brahms. 

String  Orchestra. 
Symphonic  Poem,  "Les  Preludes"         .        .        .         Liszt. 

No.  2. 

Overture,  "Rienzi" Wagner. 

First  and  second  parts  of  Symphony,  "Lenore"          .     Raff. 

Fantasia  on  Hungarian  airs  .....         Liszt. 

Mr.  Rafael  Joseffy. 

Overture,  "William  Tell" Rossini. 

Traumerei  .......        .Schumann. 

String  Orchestra. 
[  a.    Berceuse  .....  Chopin. 

Piano  Solo       •<  b.    Valse  Impromptu  (new)          .       Joseffy. 
[  c.    Marche  Militaire  .         .  Schubert-Tausig. 
Mr.  Rafael  Joseffy. 

Waltz,  "Hochzeits  Klange" Strauss. 

"Damnation  of  Faust" Berlioz. 

a.  Invocation — Minuet  of  the  Will-of-the- Wisps. 

b.  Dance  of  the  Sylphs. 

c.  Rakoczy  March. 


162  THEODORE  THOMAS 

IX 

FAREWELL  TO  THE  EAST. 

'"T"SHE  year  1891  was  a  memorable  one  in  Mr. 
•*•  Thomas's  life,  for  it  was  his  farewell  year  in 
the  East.  Before  it  closed  he  was  at  home  in 
Chicago,  where  his  life-dream  was  destined  to  be 
realized  fourteen  years  later.  That  he  had  been 
considering  the  possibility  of  this  change  for  a  long 
time  is  evident  from  a  letter  written  to  me  under 
date  of  November  28,  1888,  in  which  he  says: 

"I  shall  soon  be  ready  to  spend  most  of  my  time 
in  Chicago.  It  is  the  old  story  —  what  New  York 
offers,  I  refuse;  what  I  demand,  she  refuses."  Three 
years  later  he  made  the  change,  but  even  twelve  years 
after  that,  wearied  with  much  labor  he  sometimes 
doubted  whether  his  dreams  were  to  be  realized. 
On  December  9,  1903,  at  the  very  verge  of  their  ful- 
filment, he  met  me  and  said  that  he  had  almost  given 
up  hope  of  success  in  the  struggle  to  secure  a  perma- 
nent home  for  the  orchestra,  and  that  he  might  yet 
have  to  discontinue  his  work  and  retire  from  the  field, 
although  Chicago  was  then  rousing  herself  to  secure 
the  memorable  gift  she  soon  made  to  the  man 
whom  she  loved,  and  to  his  men,  whom  she  admired. 
Is  it  unnatural  that  after  fifty  years  of  colossal  labor, 
of  many  discouragements,  and  defeated  hopes,  at  a 
time  when  his  strength  was  failing,  though  his  intel- 
lectual powers  were  as  strong  as  ever,  he  should  occa- 
sionally have  given  way  almost  to  despair  ? 

To  return  to  1891.    It  was  a  busy  year.    He  was 


REMINISCENCE  AND  APPRECIATION       163 

making  his  farewell  calls.  Between  March  31  and 
April  1 7  his  orchestra  played  at  five  concerts  given  by 
Arthur  Friedheim,  the  pianist,  at  the  Metropolitan 
Opera  House.  April  n  he  bade  good-bye  to  the 
New  York  Philharmonic  Society  with  a  programme 
including  Mendelssohn's  overture,  "Fingal's  Cave," 
Tschaikowsky's  overture-fantasia,  "Hamlet,"  and 
Beethoven's  "Eroica"  Symphony.  Adele  Aus  der 
Ohe,  the  pianist,  played  the  Schumann  concerto,  A 
minor,  op.  54.  Philadelphia  came  next  in  order, 
April  14,  and  the  programme,  chosen  by  vote,  in- 
cluded Beethoven's  Seventh  Symphony;  the  "Song 
of  the  Rhine  Daughters,"  and  "Siegfried's  Death 
and  Funeral  March."  Mile.  De  Vere  was  the  vocal- 
ist, and  Mr.  Bendix  played  the  first  movement  of 
the  "Emperor"  Concerto  of  Beethoven.  April  18 
he  gave  his  Brooklyn  patrons  the  following  noble 
good-bye  programme:  Schubert's  "Unfinished"  Sym- 
phony; Beethoven's  Seventh  Symphony;  Wagner's 
"Faust  Overture,"  and  his  own  fine  setting  of  the 
Chopin  "Funeral  March."  The  next  evening  he 
took  leave  of  the  Lenox  Lyceum  with  Grieg's  "Peer 
Gynt"  Suite,  Beethoven's  Fifth  Symphony,  and 
Liszt's  Second  Rhapsody.  There  were  five  soloists 
at  this  concert,  Mile.  De  Vere,  Miss  Maud  Powell, 
Miss  Adele  Aus  der  Ohe,  Sig.  Del  Puente,  and  Sig. 
Campanini,  the  concert  being  in  the  popular  series. 
Then  he  came  to  Chicago  and  gave  six  concerts 
at  the  Auditorium,  which,  for  thirteen  years,  was  to 
be  his  big  concert-hall.  During  May  he  gave  scat- 
tering concerts  here  and  there,  and  in  the  latter  part 


164  THEODORE  THOMAS 

of  that  month  directed  the  third  annual  festival  at 
Indianapolis.  From  that  time  until  the  middle  of 
June  he  made  a  concert  tour,  playing  at  Kansas 
City,  Omaha,  Minneapolis,  Milwaukee,  Detroit, 
Toronto,  Ottawa,  Montreal,  and  Burlington,  Vt,  in 
the  order  named.  July  6,  1891,  he  began  his  fare- 
well series  of  New  York  concerts  at  Madison  Square 
Garden.  They  were  forty-two  in  number,  and  their 
characterization  upon  his  programmes  as  "Sym- 
phony," "Request,"  "Ballroom,"  "Popular,"  and 
"Composers',"  recalls  the  never-to-be-forgotten  sum- 
mer night  concerts  in  Chicago.  The  last  of  the  forty- 
two  concerts  was  given  August  16,  1891,  the  "Re- 
quest" programme  being  as  follows: 

1.  Prelude  and  fugue  ......         Bach. 

2.  Ballet  air,  "Paris  and  Helen"      ....  Gluck. 

3.  Andante  and  finale  from  Fifth  Symphony        .  Beethoven. 

4.  Song,  "Les  Rameaux" Faure. 

Mr.  Leo  Stormont. 

5.  Hungarian  Rhapsody,  No.  12         .        .        .        Liszt. 

6.  "Marche  Funebre"     ....    Chopin-Thomas. 

7.  Polacca  from  "I  Puritan!"       ....   Rossini. 

Miss  Louise  Natali. 

8.  March  movement,  "Lenore  Symphony"      .         .     Raff. 

9.  "Largo"         .......    Handel. 

[Violin  obligate,  Mr.  Bendix.] 

10.  "Spring  Song"   .....        Mendelssohn. 

11.  Duet  from  "II  Trovatore"        ....       Verdi. 

Miss  Natali  and  Mr.  Stormont. 

12.  "Tannhauser  Overture"      ....        Wagner. 

His  last  word  to  New  York  was  the  "Tannhauser 
Overture,"  always  a  favorite  with  him,  and  then  he 


REMINISCENCE  AND  APPRECIATION       165 

turned  his  face  to  the  West,  there  to  continue  his 
great  work,  for  which  there  was  no  longer  need  in  the 
East,  and  to  remain  working  with  heroic  will  and 
sublime  patience  until  death  laid  its  pitiless  hand 
upon  him  —  and  he  rested  from  his  labors. 

X 

IN  CHICAGO 

TV/TR.  THOMAS  made  the  acquaintance  of  Chi- 
cago  in  1869.  For  twenty- two  years  he  was 
an  honored  visitor;  for  fourteen  years  afterwards  it 
was  his  home.  I  have  already  made  reference  to  the 
three  opening  concerts  in  November,  1869.  Mr. 
Thomas  did  not  leave  Chicago  in  very  good  humor 
at  that  time,  but  he  found  some  stanch  friends  who 
guaranteed  him  an  audience  if  he  would  make  an- 
other visit.  He  did  so,  on  the  yth  of  November, 
1870,  and  gave  seven  concerts, —  six  atFarwell  Hall, 
and  a  sacred  concert  at  Crosby's  Opera  House,  with 
large  audiences  in  attendance.  Miss  Mehlig,  the 
eminent  pianist,  assisted  and,  in  addition  to  some 
minor  pieces,  played  concertos  by  Weber,  Liszt, 
Schumann,  Chopin,  and  Hummel,  which  were  new 
to  Chicago.  His  most  memorable  concert  of  that 
season  was  on  the  i4th,  in  which  the  programme 
was  devoted  to  Beethoven,  including  the  "Pastoral" 
Symphony,  the  "Leonora"  overture,  No.  3,  the 
Septet,  op.  20,  and  the  "Choral  Fantaisie,"  op.  80, 
for  which  Mr.  Dohn,  the  leader  of  the  Apollo  Club, 
drilled  a  select  chorus.  Mr.  Thomas  went  away 


166  THEODORE  THOMAS 

happier.  He  had  found  his  way  to  the  Chicago 
people,  and  they  had  found  their  way  to  him. 

In  April,  1871,  he  came  again,  and  gave  seven 
more  concerts.  The  programmes  were  light,  the 
most  important  work  being  the  Beethoven  concerto 
in  G,  No.  4,  played  by  Anna  Mehlig.  The  next 
season  was  to  have  commenced  at  Crosby's  Opera 
House,  on  the  fatal  night  of  October  9,  1871.  Among 
the  fire  losses  which  were  not  enumerated  at  the  time 
were  Beethoven's  Third  and  Fifth  Symphonies, 
Schubert's  Ninth  and  Schumann's  First  and  Fourth, 
besides  seven  piano  concertos  which  were  to  have 
been  played  by  Marie  Krebs.  Mr.  Thomas  did  not 
come  again  until  the  7th  of  October,  1872,  when  he 
opened  the  new  Aiken's  Theatre  with  a  series  of  con- 
certs, assisted  by  Mr.  George  L.  Osgood,  the  tenor 
singer.  The  most  important  works  in  that  season 
were  Schumann's  First  Symphony,  op.  38,  and  Bee- 
thoven's Seventh;  but  in  addition  to  these  works 
he  brought  out  Liszt's  "Preludes,"  the  Beethoven 
Quartet,  op.  18,  for  string  orchestra,  two  move- 
ments of  Rubinstein's  "Ocean"  Symphony,  Liszt's 
"Mephisto  Waltz,"  and  several  works  by  Raff, 
Berlioz,  Liszt,  and  Wagner,  which  were  new  to 
Chicago. 

In  1873,  under  engagement  with  Messrs.  Carpen- 
ter and  Sheldon,  Mr.  Thomas  gave  five  concerts,  com- 
mencing February  17,  at  the  Michigan  Avenue  Bap- 
tist and  Union  Park  Congregational  churches,  which 
were,  at  that  time,  the  only  available  concert  places. 
Both  Miss  Mehlig  and  Mr.  Osgood  assisted  him, 


REMINISCENCE  AND  APPRECIATION       167 

and  the  concerts  were  unusually  brilliant  and  suc- 
cessful. A  week  later,  under  the  same  management, 
he  gave  two  more  concerts,  the  second  of  which  was 
devoted  exclusively  to  Wagner's  music.  The  audi- 
ences were  smaller  and  much  more  select  than  those 
which  a  little  later  "crowded  the  house"  on  "Wagner 
nights,"  and  continued  to  do  so  until  Wagner  was 
permanently  displaced  by  Beethoven.  On  the  iyth 
of  March,  under  the  same  management,  and  in  com- 
bination with  Rubinstein  and  Wieniawrski,  two  mem- 
orable concerts  were  given,  in  which  Rubinstein 
played  his  own  concerto  in  D  minor,  No.  4,  Handel's 
air  and  variations  in  E  major,  a  Mozart  rondo,  and 
a  Bach  gigue,  Scarlatti's  "Katzenfuge,"  Beethoven's 
concerto  in  E  flat,  No.  5,  and  Schumann's  "Carni- 
val." Wieniawski's  numbers  were  the  Mendelssohn 
concerto,  Ernst's  "Othello"  fantaisie,  and  his  own 
concerto,  No.  2.  Mr.  Thomas  did  not  come  again 
until  October  6  of  the  same  year,  when  he  dedicated 
Kingsbury  Hall  with  a  series  of  eight  concerts, 
assisted  by  Myron  W.  Whitney,  the  basso.  The 
programmes  were  unusually  brilliant.  The  first  four 
were  popular.  At  the  fifth  concert,  Beethoven's 
Eighth  Symphony  and  the  four  overtures  to  "Fide- 
lio"  were  performed.  Mr.  Whitney  sang  Mozart 
and  Beethoven  arias,  and  Mr.  Listemann,  the  violin- 
ist, played  Joachim's  "Hungarian  Concerto."  The 
last  concert  was  given  with  the  assistance  of  the 
Apollo  Club  in  selections  from  "Frithjof "  and 
"Lohengrin,"  and  the  soloists,  Mr.  M.  W.  Whitney, 
Mr.  S.  E.  Jacobsohn,  violinist,  Mr.  Julius  Fuchs, 


1 68  THEODORE  THOMAS 

pianist,  and  the  local  singers,  Mrs.  Clara  Huck,  Mrs. 
O.  K.  Johnson,  and  Mr.  Fritz  Foltz.  The  orchestral 
numbers  were  selections  from  Wagner's  "Meister- 
singer,"  Beethoven's  overture,  "Coriolanus,"  and 
Liszt's  Second  Hungarian  Rhapsody. 

In  February,  1874,  four  concerts  were  given  with 
the  assistance  of  the  Apollo  Club  and  Germania 
Mannerchor,  at  the  last  of  which  (February  18), 
Schumann's  "Paradise  and  the  Peri"  was  produced 
for  the  first  time  in  this  country.  Upon  this  occa- 
sion, Miss  Clara  Doria,  of  Boston,  was  the  "Peri." 
The  remaining  parts  were  sung  by  Mrs.  O.  K.  John- 
son, Mrs.  O.  L.  Fox,  Mrs.  T.  E.  Stacey,  Miss  Ella  A. 
White,  Messrs.  M.  W.  Whitney,  Fritz  Foltz,  E.  W. 
Reuling,  and  L.  A.  Phelps.  In  September,  1874, 
four  more  concerts  were  given,  Miss  Emma  Cranch, 
soloist. 

On  the  25th  of  September  of  the  same  year,  many 
lovers  of  music  tendered  Mr.  Thomas  a  testimonial 
concert,  in  connection  with  which  the  following  cor- 
respondence is  of  interest: 

CHICAGO,  Sept.  25,  1874. 
THEODORE  THOMAS,  ESQ., 

DEAR  SIR: — After  having  at  times  in  the  last  five  years,  list- 
ened with  almost  infinite  delight  to  the  music  you  have  brought 
us,  and  feeling  that  your  visits  to  our  city  may  become  less 
frequent  hereafter  as  your  duties  increase,  we  would  desire  to 
express  to  you  our  thanks  for  happiness,  pure  and  lasting;  and, 
knowing  of  no  method  of  giving  the  public  an  opportunity  of 
expressing  this  gratitude  other  than  by  a  Complimentary  Ben- 
efit Concert,  we  would,  on  behalf  of  the  community,  ask  you  to 


REMINISCENCE  AND  APPRECIATION       169 

accept  of  such  a  tribute  of  esteem  from  your  friends  here ;  and 
fearing  this  approaching  visit  may  be  your  last  for  a  time,  we 
would  ask  respectfully  if  you  cannot  add  this  complimentary 
evening  to  the  series  of  concerts  you  are  about  to  give  in  this 
city. 

LEVI  Z.  LEITER,  W.  F.  COOLBAUGH, 

WM.  SPRAGUE,  P.  H.  SHERIDAN,  U.  S.  A., 

HENRY  FIELD,  ANSON  STAGER, 

HENRY  W.  KING,  A.  C.  HESING, 

DAVID  SWING,  FRANKLIN  MAC  VEAGH, 

HENRY  GREENEBATJM,  JAMES  B.  RUNNION, 

POTTER  PALMER,  WIRT  DEXTER, 

HORACE  WHITE,  Louis  WAHL, 

N.  K.  FAIRBANK,  W.  S.  WALKER, 

ROBERT  GOLDBECK,  EDWIN  LEE  BROWN, 

GEO.  P.  UPTON,  JOHN  B.  DRAKE, 

JOHN  L.  PECK,  GEO.  H.  LAFLIN, 

GEO.  A.  FORSYTH,  N.  S.  BOUTON, 

J.  D.  WEBSTER,  CARL  WOLFSOHN, 

W.  E.  DOGGETT,  J.  McG.  ADAMS, 

F.  W.  PALMER,  WM.  BROSS, 

L.  D.  BOONE,  A.  H.  DOHN, 

JOHN  G.  SHORTALL,  DR.  ISHAM. 

J.  IRVING  PEARCE, 

To  this  Mr.  Thomas  replied : 

PALMER  HOUSE,  CHICAGO,  Sept.  28. 
To  MESSRS.  LEVI  Z.  LEITER,  WILLIAM  SPRAGUE,  HENRY 

FIELD,  AND  OTHERS: 

GENTLEMEN: — In  accepting  your  generous  invitation,  re- 
ceived by  telegraph  in  Syracuse,  I  desire  to  express  my  sincere 
thanks  for  the  kindly  expressions  of  esteem  shown  in  your  letter 
toward  me  personally.  But  I  desire  to  place  on  record  more 
fully  an  expression  of  my  grateful  feelings  for  the  tribute  you, 


170  THEODORE  THOMAS 

through  me,  have  paid  to  the  art  to  which  my  life  has  been 
exclusively  devoted. 

I  assure  you  that  this  evidence  of  appreciation,  coming,  as 
it  does,  from  the  representative  city  of  the  West,  is  an  additional 
encouragement  for  me  to  continue  the  work  of  elevating  the 
standard  of  musical  art.  In  naming  Saturday,  October  3,  for 
the  concert,  I  am  very  respectfully  yours, 

THEODORE  THOMAS. 

In  the  latter  part  of  April,  1875,  while  en  route  to 
the  Cincinnati  Festival,  Mr.  Thomas  gave  four  fes- 
tival concerts  and  a  matinee  in  McCormick  Hall,  the 
Germania  Mannerchor,  a  mixed  chorus  of  two  hun- 
dred voices,  Miss  Cranch,  and  Messrs.  Bischoff  and 
Remmertz,  soloists,  assisting.  The  principal  instru- 
mental works  were  Beethoven's  "Pastoral"  Sym- 
phony, Mendelssohn's  "Scotch"  Symphony,  and 
Schubert's  "Unfinished"  Symphony.  The  choral 
numbers  were  selections  from  Gluck's  "Orpheus," 
Mendelssohn's  "An  die  Kiinstler,"  Rietz's  "Morgen- 
lied,"  and  the  "Armorers' "  chorus  from  Wagner's 
"Rienzi." 

Eighteen  hundred  and  seventy-seven  will  always 
be  a  memorable  year  in  the  history  of  music  in  Chi- 
cago. After  a  brilliant  series  of  festival  concerts, 
given  early  in  June  by  the  Apollo  Club,  in  which  Mr. 
Thomas's  orchestra  participated,  he  began  that  re- 
markable series  of  summer  night  concerts  in  the 
Exposition  Building,  upon  the  Lake  Front,  which 
were  not  discontinued  until  the  summer  of  1890. 
The  opening  concert  was  given  June  18,  with  the  fol- 
lowing popular  programme: 


REMINISCENCE  AND  APPRECIATION       171 

Overture,  "La  Gazza  Ladra"  ,r  ...  Rossini. 
Waltz,  "Die  Vorstadter"  .  .;-,..  .  .  Lanner. 

Ballet  Music,  "Reine  de  Saba"  .  .  .  Gounod. 
Rhapsodic  Hongroise,  No.  2  ....  Liszt. 
Overture,  "Egmont" Beethoven. 

Larghetto         I  Symphony  "Lenore"     .  Raff. 

March  Tempo  ) 

Selections,  i st  act  "Lohengrin"  .  .-."•.:  .  .  Wagner. 
Overture,  "Martha"  .  :.  ./,  .  .  .  Flotow. 
"Serenade"  (adapted  for  orchestra),  by  Theodore 

Thomas    .  .         .         .        .         .    Schubert. 

Waltz,  "Illustrationen"    ' . .' Strauss. 

"Coronation  March" Farbach. 

I  have  Mr.  Thomas's  authority  for  the  statement 
that  Mr.  George  B.  Carpenter,  the  manager  of  these 
concerts  in  1877,  first  suggested  to  him  the  idea  of 
the  "request"  programme,  which  explains  the  follow- 
ing announcement  in  the  programme  of  July  12: 

"For  Monday  evening,  July  16,  Mr.  Thomas  has  in  prep- 
aration a  novel  programme,  in  which  he  will  endeavor  to  satisfy 
the  expressed  wishes  of  his  audiences,  as  shown  in  the  letters 
daily  received,  urging  repetition  of  certain  selections.  This 
will  be  the  'Request'  programme.  It  will  contain  only  those 
numbers,  repetition  of  which  has  been  urged,  making  a  pro- 
gramme representing  the  popular  taste  of  the  lighter  pro- 
gramme music,  reserving  for  another  time  the  pieces  of  the  more 
serious  composers,  repetition  of  which  has  been  requested." 

In  conversation  with  Mr.  Thomas  about  a  year 
before  his  death,  I  asked  him  why  he  had  discon- 
tinued making  "request"  programmes.  He  replied: 
"Because  it  is  no  longer  necessary.  My  audiences  no 
longer  request.  They  are  satisfied  with  what  satisfies 
me."  In  this  statement  he  referred  to  the  regular 


172  THEODORE  THOMAS 

patrons.  "Transients"  sometimes  sent  in  requests, 
but  he  paid  no  attention  to  them. 

The  first  summer  night  season,  notwithstanding 
labor  strikes  and  riots,  was  a  great  success.  As  it 
drew  to  a  close  concert  goers  bestirred  themselves  to 
secure  another  season  in  1878.  The  agitation  at  last 
resulted  in  a  letter  signed  by  many  prominent  citizens 
asking  Mr.  Thomas  to  return  the  next  summer,  and 
tendering  him  a  complimentary  concert. 

He  came  the  next  summer,  and  every  summer  but 
two,  until  1891.  In  a  general  sense  these  thirteen 
seasons  of  summer  night  concerts  are  noteworthy. 
Their  popular  success,  and  the  appreciation  and  en- 
couragement extended  to  him  when  his  prospects 
seemed  darkest,  and  it  appeared  as  if  the  longer 
existence  of  his  famous  orchestra  were  hopeless, 
greatly  influenced  him  in  his  decision  to  make  Chi- 
cago his  home.  Again,  these  thirteen  seasons  of 
garden  music  judiciously  combined  with  higher 
music  gradually  elevated  the  popular  taste,  and 
prepared  his  audiences  for  his  fourteen  seasons 
of  more  dignified  and  more  purely  intellectual  music 
which  were  to  follow  them  in  the  concert-room. 
From  the  narrower  and  more  purely  personal  point 
of  view,  who  that  had  the  pleasure  of  attending  those 
Exposition  summer  night  concerts  will  ever  forget 
the  brilliancy  of  the  programmes,  their  consistency 
with  the  surroundings,  the  familiarity,  as  it  were, 
between  the  conductor  and  orchestra  on  the  one  hand 
and  the  audience  on  the  other,  the  freedom  of  inter- 
course, the  Bohemian  informality,  and  the  absence 


REMINISCENCE  AND  APPRECIATION       173 

of  the  concert-room's  etiquette  of  dress  and  de- 
meanor ? 

Meanwhile,  Chicago  had  its  two  festivals,  the  first 
in  1882,  the  second  in  1884.  The  first  was  the  result 
of  Mr.  Thomas's  years  of  educational  effort,  which 
led  steadily  forward  to  such  a  culmination.  The 
1882  festival  was  associated  with  the  New  York  and 
Cincinnati  May  festivals,  all  under  the  same  leader, 
employing  the  same  solo  artists,  and  utilizing  the 
same  orchestral  material;  but,  as  I  have  previously 
said,  the  biennial  feature  of  the  scheme  was  dropped. 
New  York  had  one  and  Chicago  two  festivals.  Cin- 
cinnati alone  was  able  to  continue  them,  and  since 
Mr.  Thomas's  death  has  pledged  itself  to  keep  up 
festival  work,  and,  so  far  as  it  is  able,  to  maintain  his 
high  standard. 

For  the  1882  festival  there  was  the  following 
brilliant  array  of  artists:  Sopranos,  Mme.  Friedrich- 
Materna  and  Mrs.  E.  Aline  Osgood ;  contraltos,  Miss 
Annie  Louise  Gary  and  Miss  Emily  Winant;  tenors, 
Sig.  Italo  Campanini,  Mr.  William  Candidus,  and 
Mr.  Theodore  J.  Toedt ;  bassos,  Mr.  George  Henschel, 
Mr.  Franz  Remmertz,  and  Mr.  Myron  W.  Whitney. 
The  principal  vocal  numbers  were  Handel's  "Utrecht 
Jubilate,"  scenes  from  "Lohengrin,"  Handel's  "Mes- 
siah," Bach's  cantata,  "Festo  Ascensionis  Christi," 
selections  from  the  Nibelungen  trilogy,  Schumann's 
Mass  in  C  minor,  and  "The  Fall  of  Troy,"  from 
Berlioz's  "Les  Troyens."  The  principal  works  per- 
formed by  the  orchestra  were  Beethoven's  Fifth 
and  Ninth  Symphonies,  Mozart's  Symphony  in  C 


174  THEODORE  THOMAS 

("Jupiter"),  the  supplementary  movement  to  Rubin- 
stein's "Ocean"  Symphony,  and  Brahms's  "Tragic" 
overture. 

For  the  festival  of  1884,  the  foundation  of  which 
was  a  chorus  of  nine  hundred  and  an  orchestra  of  one 
hundred  and  seventy,  the  soloists  were  Mme.  Fried- 
rich-Materna,  Herr  Emil  Scaria,  barytone;  Herr 
Hermann  Winkelmann,  tenor,  all  from  the  Imperial 
Opera  House,  Vienna;  Christine  Nilsson,  Emma 
Juch,  Emily  Winant,  Theodore  J.  Toedt,  and  Franz 
Remmertz.  The  principal  vocal  works  were  Haydn's 
"Creation,"  selections  from  "Tannhauser,"  "Die 
Walkure,"  "Lohengrin,"  "Die  Gotterdammerung," 
"Parsifal,"  and  "Die  Meistersinger,"  Berlioz's  "Messe 
des  Morts,"  Handel's  "Dettingen  Te  Deum,"  and 
Gounod's  "Redemption."  The  symphonies  were 
Mozart's  G  minor,  Beethoven's  "Eroica,"  and  Schu- 
bert's Ninth. 

Four  years  later  the  Thomas  Orchestra  was  dis- 
banded, for  reasons  stated  elsewhere,  but  the  next 
year  came  the  national  testimonial,  and  a  widespread 
popular  demand  that  the  concert  tours  should  be 
revived.  For  the  testimonial  tour  Mr.  Thomas  organ- 
ized an  orchestra  in  which  were  some  of  the  members 
of  the  old  organization,  but  the  "Thomas  Orches- 
tra," as  it  had  been  known  so  many  years,  had 
closed  its  labors.  Two  years  later,  the  Chicago 
Orchestral  Association  was  incorporated,  the  incor- 
porators  being  N.  K.  Fairbank,  E.  B.  McCagg,  A.  C. 
Bartlett,  C.  D.  Hamill,  and  C.  N.  Fay,  who  consti- 
tuted the  first  board  of  trustees.  It  is  no  injustice 


REMINISCENCE  AND  APPRECIATION       175 

to  any  of  the  incorporators  to  give  Mr.  Fay  the  credit 
of  being  the  originator  of  the  Association.  He  gave 
generously  of  his  time  and  labor  and  money  to  it, 
secured  the  original  subscriptions,  and  was  largely 
instrumental  in  maintaining  it  until  it  was  able  to 
stand  on  its  own  feet.  Contracts  were  made  with 
Mr.  Thomas  to  serve  as  director  for  three  years, 
beginning  July  i,  1891,  with  Mr.  Milward  Adams  to 
serve  as  manager  for  the  same  time,  and  the  Audito- 
rium was  secured  for  the  concerts.  Fifty-one  gen- 
tlemen assured  the  finances.  These  fifty-one  original 
sponsors  of  the  Chicago  Orchestra  were:  Marshall 
Field,  C.  N.  Fay,  E.  B.  McCagg,  N.  K.  Fairbank, 
H.  H.  Porter,  A.  A.  Sprague,  T.  B.  Blackstone,  Walter 
C.  Larned,  George  A.  Armour,  O.  S.  A.  Sprague, 
R.  T.  Crane,  John  M.  Clark,  Thomas  Murdock, 
Edson  Keith,  Franklin  MacVeagh,  John  R.  Walsh, 
O.  W.  Potter,  Henry  Field  (estate),  Charles  Counsel- 
man,  C.  L.  Hutchinson,  N.  B.  Ream,  T.  W.  Harvey, 
C.  W.  Fullerton,  Henry  W.  Bishop,  Dr.  Ralph  N. 
Isham,  Eugene  S.  Pike,  C.  R.  Cummings,  George  M. 
Pullman,  P.  D.  Armour,  Victor  F.  Lawson,  A.  C. 
Bartlett,  S.  A.  Kent,  Henry  W.  King,  L.  J.  Gage, 
Norman  Williams,  Albert  Keep,  Martin  A.  Ryerson, 
H.  W.  Higinbotham,  Cyrus  H.  McCormick,  E.  W. 
Blatchford,  Byron  L.  Smith,  Carl  Wolfsohn,  J.  Mc- 
Gregor Adams,  Allison  V.  Armour,  J.  J.  Glessner, 
S.  E.  Barrett,  J.  M.  Loomis,  W.  G.  Hibbard,  L.  Z. 
Leiter,  Charles  H.  Wacker,  and  O.  W.  Meysenburg. 
The  story  of  the  Chicago  Orchestra,  of  its  strug- 
gles and  vicissitudes,  of  the  patience  and  courage  of 


176  THEODORE  THOMAS 

its  leader,  of  the  noble  generosity  of  the  little  band 
of  guarantors, —  for  the  original  number  was  largely 
reduced  after  the  three  years'  contract  expired, —  of 
the  arrival  at  the  parting  of  the  ways,  and  of  the  un- 
precedented popular  tribute  of  Chicago  to  the  orches- 
tra bearing  its  name,  and  of  its  attachment  to  its 
leader,  is  familiar  to  every  one.  Mr.  Thomas  lived 
long  enough  to  dedicate  the  permanent  home  which 
Chicago  had  given  to  its  orchestra,  and  passed  away, 
knowing  that  his  life-work  had  not  been  in  vain,  and 
that  the  purposes  which  had  been  nearest  his  heart 
for  fifty  years  were  at  last  realized. 

XI 

DISAPPOINTMENTS 

/"T"VHERE  were  three  great  disappointments  in  Mr. 
•*•  Thomas's  life  growing  out  of  his  connection  with 
the  Cincinnati  College  of  Music,  the  American  Opera 
Company,  and  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition 
Bureau  of  Music.  These  disappointments  were  all 
the  more  bitter  because  in  each  case  he  had  planned 
musical  schemes  upon  the  broadest  foundations,  and 
for  the  highest  and  noblest  purposes,  and  in  each 
case  he  hoped  for  results  which  should  not  only 
justify  the  time  and  labor  and  money  expended,  but 
should  be  far  reaching  in  their  influence.  In  other 
words,  he  looked  forward  to  a  college  which  should 
be  not  merely  a  conservatory,  but  a  university  of 
higher  musical  learning;  to  an  opera  organization  of 
a  national  and  purely  American  character,  which,  in 


REMINISCENCE  AND  APPRECIATION       177 

time,  should  give  a  great  and  much-needed  impetus 
to  musical  composition,  as  well  as  performance,  in 
this  country;  and  to  such  an  exposition  at  the 
famous  White  City  of  musical  progress,  that  its 
evolution  should  be  marked,  and  its  promise  made 
clear  to  every  one.  All  three  projects  failed,  but 
not  because  of  his  fault.  His  plans  were  too  great 
for  one  man  to  carry  out  unaided. 

It  would  be  a  thankless  task  to  stir  up  the  old 
embers  of  strife  —  all  the  more  thankless  now  that 
Mr.  Thomas  is  not  here  to  make  answer.  In  each 
case,  when  he  saw  that  persistence  in  his  plans  must 
involve  a  long  and  bitter  contest,  and  that  these 
plans  were  either  misunderstood  or  antagonized,  he 
resigned,  and  bore  his  disappointment  with  philo- 
sophical composure.  He  cherished  no  resentments, 
but  turned  to  the  great  purpose  of  his  life  with  fresh 
courage  and  renewed  activity.  I  have  had  letters 
from  him  during  these  three  periods,  but  only  in  one 
of  them  does  he  refer  to  his  troubles,  and  in  that  he 
merely  says:  "I  cannot  tell  you  what  pain  these 
attacks  have  given  me.  My  age  and  my  record 
should  have  protected  me  from  them.  But  let  it 
pass.  Art  is  long."  So,  as  the  Master  said,  "let  it 
pass."  It  will  not  revive  strife  nor  pain  any  one  now, 
however,  to  define  his  relations  to  the  three  schemes 
mentioned,  all  of  which  were  nobly  conceived,  and 
to  show  what  he  intended,  though  his  plans  failed. 

Mr.  Thomas,  in  his  autobiography,  refers  to  the 
unpleasantness  of  his  connection  with  the  Cincinnati 
College  of  Music  in  a  general  way.  It  was  the  only 


178  THEODORE  THOMAS 

unpleasantness  he  ever  had  there.  He  went  to  that 
city  as  a  young  man.  He  conducted  every  one  of  its 
biennial  festivals  from  1873  to  1904,  the  last  one  with 
a  series  of  programmes  so  colossal,  so  grandly  con- 
ceived, so  perfectly  put  together,  so  admirably  exe- 
cuted, as  to  excite  the  wonder  and  attract  the  admira- 
tion of  the  whole  musical  world.  If  he  had  left  no 
other  great  achievement  behind  him,  the  programme 
book  of  the  sixteenth  Cincinnati  festival  would  have 
been  a  sufficient  memorial  of  his  greatness.  What 
the  Festival  Association  thinks  of  him,  how  it  cher- 
ishes his  memory  as  musician  and  friend,  how 
proudly  it  recalls  his  triumphs,  how  faithfully  it  prom- 
ises to  follow  in  the  course  he  laid  out  for  it,  is  stated 
in  its  beautiful  and  dignified  memorial  contained  in 
the  appendix  of  this  volume.  There  were  no  disap- 
pointments in  his  connection  with  the  Musical  Associ- 
ation ;  with  the  College,  unfortunately,  it  was  different. 
The  College  was  incorporated  under  the  laws  of 
Ohio  in  the  summer  of  1878,  its  directors  being  R.  R. 
Springer,  John  Shillito,  George  Ward  Nichols,  Jacob 
Burnet,  Jr.,  and  Peter  R.  Neff.  Mr.  Nichols  was 
made  president.  On  August  16  of  that  year  the  fol- 
lowing letter  was  addressed  to  Mr.  Thomas  by  many 
leading  citizens  of  Cincinnati,  inviting  him  to  take 
the  position  of  musical  director : 

CINCINNATI,  August  16,  1878. 
MR.  THEODORE  THOMAS,  NEW  YORK: 

DEAR  SIR:  —  The  undersigned,  citizens  of  Cincinnati,  on 
the  part  of  the  College  of  Music  of  Cincinnati,  cordially  invite 
you  at  the  earliest  opportunity  to  make  your  residence  in  this 


REMINISCENCE  AND  APPRECIATION       179 

city,  and  accept  the  musical  directorship  of  the  college.  It  is 
proposed  to  establish  an  institution  for  musical  education  upon 
the  scale  of  the  most  important  of  those  of  a  similar  character 
in  Europe;  to  employ  the  highest  class  of  professors;  to  organ- 
ize a  full  orchestra,  with  a  school  for  orchestra  and  chorus, 
and  to  give  concerts. 

This  city  has  superior  advantages  for  the  success  of  this 
project.  We  have  the  new  Music  Hall,  where  the  College  will 
be  held,  and  the  great  organ,  which  offers  decided  attraction. 
Our  community  is  cultivated  in  music;  living  is  cheap  and 
comfortable  here. 

In  this  invitation  we  recognize  your  especial  fitness  for  a 
trust  so  important,  and  believe  if  you  accept  that  you  will  be 
taking  another  step  forward  in  the  noble  work  of  musical  edu- 
cation to  which  your  life  has  been  so  successfully  devoted. 

R.  R.  SPRINGER,  PETER  RUDOLPH  NEFF, 

JOSEPH  LONGWORTH,  JOSEPH  KINSEY, 

JOHN  SHILLITO,  A.  HOWARD  HINKLE, 
GEORGE  K.  SHOENBERGER,         LAWRENCE  MAXWELL, 

ROBERT  MITCHELL,  GORDON  SHILLITO,  JR., 

DAVID  SINTON,  JACOB  BURNET,  JR., 

W.  H.  ANDREWS,  JULIUS  DEXTER, 

RUFUS  KING,  ROBERT  F.  LEAMAN, 

WILLIAM  RESOR,  JR.,  M.  E.  INGALLS, 

C.  H.  GOULD,  CHARLES  SHORT, 

T.  B.  RESOR,  GEO.  WARD  NICHOLS. 

Mr.  Thomas  promptly  accepted  the  invitation, 
and  signed  a  contract  for  five  years,  because  he  be- 
lieved that  the  College  would  be  just  such  an  institu- 
ton  as  he  had  long  desired  for  the  cultivation  and 
diffusion  of  knowledge  of  the  higher  music.  He 
organized  it  upon  the  basis  of  a  great  musical  univer- 
sity. In  addition  to  the  tuition  in  all  the  common 
branches  of  music,  he  organized  an  orchestra  of  large 


i8o  THEODORE  THOMAS 

proportions,  a  quartette  for  chamber  music,  a  chorus 
for  oratorio  work,  and  provided  for  regular  recitals 
upon  the  great  new  organ.  The  College  was  soon 
humming  like  a  hive,  and  there  were  no  drones  in  it. 
In  the  first  season  (November  7,  1878,  to  May  29, 
1879),  there  were  twelve  orchestral  concerts  with 
programmes  of  the  highest  order,  and  eminent  solo- 
ists, twelve  chamber  concerts  in  which  Mr.  Thomas 
took  part,  with  Jacobsohn,  violin,  Baetens,  viola, 
and  Hartdegen,  violoncello,  besides  choral,  closing 
examination,  and  miscellaneous  concerts,  and  organ 
recitals  by  Mr.  George  E.  Whiting,  three  or  four 
times  a  week.  During  the  second  season  there  were 
eight  orchestral  and  six  chamber  concerts,  organ 
recitals  twice  a  week,  and  miscellaneous  concerts. 

A  letter  to  "Dwight's  Journal  of  Music,"  January 
25,  1879,  says: 

"The  influence  exerted  by  Theodore  Thomas  in  his  new 
field  of  labor  cannot  be  overrated.  A  faculty  has  been  formed 
of  local  teachers,  and  in  addition  Jacobsohn,  Baetens,  and 
Hartdegen,  with  Theodore  Thomas,  make  a  strong  quartette. 
Mr.  Whiting  has  been  engaged  as  organist,  Signor  and  Mme. 
La  Villa  as  vocal  instructors,  and  Perring  as  teacher  of  ora- 
torio. It  is  also  a  success  from  a  business  point  of  view.  Its 
most  potent  influence  is  exerted  through  the  orchestral,  cham- 
ber, and  organ  concerts,  and  the  College  choir.  Every  mem- 
ber of  the  latter  is  rigidly  examined,  and  discipline  is  strict. 
In  the  orchestral  concerts  Beethoven's  Second,  Haydn's  Ninth, 
Schumann's  Fourth,  and  Brahms's  C  minor  symphonies  have 
been  performed;  in  the  chamber  concerts,  quartets  by  Bee- 
thoven, Mozart,  Haydn,  Schubert,  and  Schumann,  and  a 


REMINISCENCE  AND  APPRECIATION       181 

quintet  by  Brahms ;  and  at  the  organ  recitals  the  best  works 
of  Bach,  Mendelssohn,  Hesse,  Thiele,  Fink,  Lemmens,  Best, 
and  Smart." 

A  second  letter  to  the  same  paper,  written 
February  8, 1879,  says: 

"In  the  instrumental  and  vocal  departments,  the  system  in 
vogue  in  European  conservatories  is  adhered  to,  except  that 
more  attention  is  paid  to  the  individual.  The  chorus  classes 
are  instructed  in  musical  notation,  sight  singing,  etc.  Theory 
is  thoroughly  taught,  and  the  attendance  in  classes  is  con- 
trolled by  carefully  kept  registers.  For  the  orchestral  concerts, 
Mr.  Thomas  took  the  standing  orchestra,  which  had  been 
directed  by  Michael  Brand,  and  supplemented  it,  and  made 
Jacobsohn  concertmeister." 

In  February,  1879,  Mr.  Thomas,  owing  to  his 
manifold  and  engrossing  duties,  gave  up  his  place  in 
the  string  quartette  to  Eich,  a  resident  violinist.  In 
March  of  that  year  the  College  choir  was  studying 
Handel's  "Hercules,"  Schubert's  E  flat  Mass,  Verdi's 
"Manzoni  Requiem,"  Beethoven's  "Ruins  of 
Athens,"  and  other  important  works.  Mr.  Whiting, 
the  organist,  had  added  to  his  department  instruc- 
tion in  church  music.  Apparently  all  through  1879 
everything  was  prosperous,  but  early  in  1880  sinister 
rumors  were  afloat,  and  there  was  talk  of  disagree- 
ment between  Mr.  Thomas  and  the  Board  of  Direc- 
tors. The  correspondence  "connected  with  the 
withdrawal  of  Mr.  Theodore  Thomas  from  the  Col- 
lege of  Music  of  Cincinnati"  explains  the  disagree- 
ment. In  February,  1882,  Mr.  Thomas  submitted 


1 82  THEODORE  THOMAS 

certain  recommendations  to  the  Board  of  Directors. 
The  report  they  made  upon  them  was  not  satisfac- 
tory to  him,  and  on  the  27th  of  that  month  he  wrote 
to  the  Chairman  of  the  Board  as  follows: 

CINCINNATI,  February  27,  1880. 
MR.  A.  T.  GOSHORN,  CHAIRMAN: 

DEAR  SIR: —  I  am  in  receipt  of  your  communication  of  the 
25th,  inclosing  the  report  of  your  committee  for  my  examina- 
tion, and  requesting  me  to  make  such  further  suggestions  as  I 
wish,  concerning  said  report,  before  its  return  by  your  Commit- 
tee to  the  Board. 

There  are  some  minor  matters  of  detail,  concerning  the 
curriculum  and  prospectus,  which  will  require  further  consid- 
eration. But  there  are  two  matters  of  fundamental  import- 
ance, as  to  one  of  which  my  former  suggestion  is  disregarded, 
and  as  to  the  other  of  which  the  report  is  ambiguous. 

In  the  first  place,  I  am  clear  that  the  school  year  cannot  be 
divided  into  more  than  two  terms.  According  to  regulation 
No.  2  of  your  report,  the  Musical  Director  is  to  be  charged 
with,  and  held  responsible  for,  the  musical  conduct  of  the  Col- 
lege. I  am  willing  to  assume  this  responsibility,  but  I  must 
insist  upon  being  intrusted  with  the  exclusive  direction  of  the 
school  in  all  its  departments,  reserving,  of  course,  to  the  Board 
of  Directors  all  questions  involving  the  expenditure  of  money. 
In  other  words,  I  insist  upon  occupying  that  relation  to  the 
school  which  is  ordinarily  involved  in  the  office  of  President  of 
a  College,  and  I  expect  the  Board  of  Directors  and  its  officers 
to  sustain  the  relation  ordinarily  sustained  by  the  Trustees  of 
a  College. 

Under  these  conditions,  with  a  curriculum  established  and 
discipline  maintained,  I  have  confidence  in  the  prospect  of 
building  up  a  great  musical  College.  Under  any  other  condi- 
tions, I  consider  further  effort  in  that  behalf  futile,  and  I  there- 
fore desire  to  know  at  the  earliest  convenient  day  whether  my 
suggestions  are  acceptable.  If  they  are,  I  think  it  important 


REMINISCENCE  AND  APPRECIATION       183 

that  the  changes  which  they  involve  in  the  office  of  the  College 
should  be  made  at  once.  I  shall  be  glad  to  receive  an  answer, 
by,  say,  next  Tuesday.  Yours  truly, 

THEODORE  THOMAS. 

Mr.  Goshorn  replied  to  this  letter,  asking  Mr. 
Thomas  to  explain  more  definitely  his  understanding 
of  the  relations  of  the  President  of  a  College  to  the 
Board  of  Trustees.  In  his  reply  Mr.  Thomas  ex- 
plained at  length,  and  as  his  letter  contains  the 
reasons  for  his  subsequent  resignation,  I  append  the 
most  important  portion  of  it.  Mr.  Thomas  says: 

"With  the  experience  which  you  say  you  have  had  in  such 
matters,  I  must  assume  that  you  are  familiar  with  the  usual 
character  of  the  office  of  President  of  a  College,  and  I  beg  to 
assure  you  that  your  apprehensions  of  an  erroneous  under- 
standing on  my  part  are  groundless.  I  understand,  as  you 
do,  that  the  President  of  a  College  is  an  executive  officer  who  is 
appointed  by  the  Board  of  Trustees,  and  administers  the  affairs 
of  the  College  under  authority  derived  from  them,  and  conform- 
ably, of  course,  to  any  rules  and  regulations  adopted  by  them. 

"But  the  Trustees  of  a  College  never  come  in  contact  with 
the  students  or  take  any  personal  part  in  the  administration 
of  the  internal  affairs  and  government  of  the  College.  All  that 
is  confided  to  the  President  and  Faculty,  and  that  is  what  I 
desire  to  have  done  in  our  College.  I  must  have  exclusive 
direction  of  the  school  in  all  its  departments.  Everybody 
connected  with  the  school  must  be  under  my  control,  and  re- 
ceive his  instructions  from  me,  and  be  accountable  to  me  alone. 
I  in  turn  would  expect  to  be  accountable  for  my  administra- 
tion to  the  Board  of  Directors.  I  would  not  expect  to  submit 
my  judgment  to  theirs  in  musical  matters,  and  in  everything 
concerning  which  I  would  be  obliged  to  consult  them,  I  would 
rely  upon  mutually  sympathetic  cooperation.  I  believe  that 
I  could  easily  administer  the  affairs  of  the  office  of  the  College 


184  THEODORE  THOMAS 

with  the  assistance  of  a  Secretary.  An  additional  Clerk  or 
Treasurer  might  be  necessary  for  a  few  days  at  the  opening  of 
each  term. 

"In  view  of  your  allusion  to  my  contract,  I  beg  to  say  that 
rumors,  which  have  not  escaped  my  ears,  to  the  effect  that  I 
am  desirous  of  being  relieved  from  it,  are  entirely  false.  I  assure 
you  that  it  is  my  earnest  desire  to  adhere  to  my  contract, 
and  go  on  with  the  College,  in  whose  success,  under  proper 
organization,  I  lack  no  confidence. 

"But  you  must  appreciate  that  my  professional  reputation 
is  at  stake,  and  that  I  cannot,  in  justice  to  myself,  consent  to 
continue  longer  responsible  for  a  school  whose  direction  is  not 
confided  in  me;  and  that  therefore  I  am  entitled  to  know, 
without  delay,  whether  that  will  be  done.  I  simply  insist  upon 
being  in  fact  what  I  am  now  only  in  name,  viz.,  Director  of 
the  College.  That  office  I  am  entitled  to  under  my  contract, 
and  I  decline  longer  to  act  as  Assistant  or  Associate  Director." 

Several  more  letters  passed  between  Mr.  Thomas 
and  various  members  of  the  Board,  but  at  last  he 
wrote  March  4,  1880,  the  following  letter  of  resigna- 
tion: 

CINCINNATI,  March  4,  1880. 

THE  BOARD  OF  THE  DIRECTORS  OF  THE  COLLEGE  OF  Music 
OF  CINCINNATI: 

GENTLEMEN: — I  am  in  receipt  of  the  letter  of  your  com- 
mittee dated  ad  instant.  I  regard  it  as  a  misrepresentation  of 
my  position  and  an  evasion  of  the  real  issue.  That  position 
and  issue  you  certainly  cannot  misunderstand  in  view  of  the 
communications,  written  and  verbal,  which  I  have  had  with 
your  committee  and  the  President  of  your  Board.  I,  therefore, 
deem  further  negotiations  useless,  and  respectfully  request  that 
you  relieve  me  from  my  duties  October  i,  or  as  soon  thereafter 
as  will  enable  you  to  secure  a  successor.  Yours  truly, 

THEODORE  THOMAS. 


REMINISCENCE  AND  APPRECIATION       185 

The  directors  accepted  the  resignation,  but  not 
the  date  named  by  Mr.  Thomas,  and  after  consulta- 
tion with  them  his  official  relations  with  the  College 
terminated  April  8, 1880,  and,  with  one  exception,  they 
parted  good  friends.  He  had  differed  from  them  in 
his  views  as  to  the  scope  of  a  Director.  To  carry  out 
the  purpose  he  had  in  mind,  he  needed  more  personal 
authority  than  the  trustees  were  willing  to  concede 
to  him.  But  even  had  they  conceded  all  he  asked,  it 
is  doubtful  whether  Cincinnati  was  ready  for  such  a 
great  university  as  he  had  planned,  which,  if  he  could 
have  carried  out  those  plans,  would  have  been  one  of 
the  greatest  seats  of  musical  learning  in  the  world. 
Nor  was  there  the  student  material  for  such  an 
institution.  Simply,  the  time  was  not  ripe  for  such  a 
great  project,  and  from  that  point  of  view  the  contest 
was  immaterial,  and  left  no  rancor  behind  it,  dis- 
appointing as  the  result  was  to  him.  He  had  greater 
and  in  many  respects  more  important  work  to  do,  not 
alone  for  Cincinnati  but  for  the  whole  West,  and 
work  for  which  no  other  city  in  the  West  but  Cincin- 
nati could  give  him  the  opportunity  of  doing.  Nobly 
and  most  generously  she  stood  by  him  and  main- 
tained those  great  festivals  which  have  made  her 
name  famous,  and  shed  added  lustre  upon  his 
renown. 

Mr.  Thomas's  experience  with  the  American  Opera 
Company  was  a  bitter  one,  not  alone  because  of 
the  disappointment  entailed  by  its  failure  but  also 
because  of  the  exasperating  litigation  and  petty 


1 86  THEODORE  THOMAS 

persecution  to  which  he  was  subjected  for  some  time 
after  the  collapse  by  those  who  thoughtlessly  assumed 
that  he  was  financially  responsible.  Mr.  Thomas's 
only  financial  connection  with  the  enterprise  was  a  sal- 
aried one,  and  he  sacrificed  several  months'  salary  in 
order  that  the  orchestra  should  receive  its  pay.  The 
American  Opera  Company,  though  a  distinct  institu- 
tion from  the  School  of  Opera,  which  was  incorpo- 
rated as  the  National  Conservatory  of  Music,  was 
conducted  under  the  same  patronage  and  in  sym- 
pathy with  its  practical  workings.  The  prospectus 
shows  that  the  American  Opera  Company,  Limited, 
was  incorporated  in  1878,  for  the  purpose  of  perma- 
nently supporting  "opera  sung  by  Americans."  Its 
capital  was  $250,000.  Its  officers  were:  President, 
Andrew  Carnegie;  Vice-Presidents,  Mrs.  August 
Belmont,  Mrs.  William  T.  Blodgett,  and  Mrs. 
Levi  P.  Morton;  Secretary  and  Treasurer,  Mrs. 
Jeannette  M.  Thurber;  Musical  Director,  Theodore 
Thomas.  It  was  not  a  local  but  a  national  enter- 
prise. The  leading  artists  came  from  twenty  differ- 
ent cities,  and  the  chorus,  originally  selected  from 
six  hundred  and  thirty  applicants,  represented  twenty- 
three  different  States  of  the  Union.  The  distinct 
features  of  the  Company  were  enumerated  in  the 
prospectus  as  follows : 

"FIRST.     Grand  opera  sung  in  our  own  language  by  the 
most  competent  artists; 

SECOND.    The  musical  guidance  of  Theodore  Thomas; 

THIRD.    The  unrivalled  Thomas  Orchestra ; 

FOURTH.    The    largest    regularly    trained    chorus    ever 


REMINISCENCE  AND  APPRECIATION       187 

employed  in  grand  opera  in  America,  and  composed  entirely 
of  young  and  fresh  voices; 

FIFTH.  The  largest  ballet  corps  ever  presented  in  grand 
opera  in  America,  and  as  far  as  possible  American  in  its  com- 
position; 

SIXTH.  Four  thousand  new  and  correct  costumes  for 
which  no  expense  has  been  spared  in  fabric  or  manufacture ; 

SEVENTH.  The  armor,  properties,  and  paraphernalia,  the 
handiwork  of  artisans  employed  solely  for  this  department, 
and  made  from  models  designed  by  the  best  authorities; 

EIGHTH.  The  scenery,  designed  by  the  Associated  Artists 
of  New  York,  and  painted  by  the  most  eminent  scenic  artists 
in  America. 

In  a  word,  the  object  of  the  American  Opera  Company  is 
to  present  ensemble  opera,  giving  no  single  feature  undue 
prominence  to  the  injury  of  others,  and  distinctly  discouraging 
the  pernicious  star  system,  long  since  discountenanced  in  con- 
tinental Europe." 

The  purpose  of  the  American  Opera  Company 
was  most  commendable.  It  was  one  which  had  been 
contemplated  by  other  eminent  musicians,  among 
them  Anton  Seidl.  At  this  writing  it  is  again  on  trial 
by  Mr.  Savage,  and  its  latest  manifestation  is  the 
ambitious  attempt  to  produce  "Parsifal"  in  English. 
While  opera  in  English  is  still  an  experiment,  yet  it 
has  been  the  dream  of  many  conductors.  Mr. 
Thomas  entered  upon  the  work  with  enthusiasm. 
He  had  an  ensemble  the  like  of  which  had  never  been 
seen  in  opera  in  this  country  before  —  an  orchestra 
splendidly  trained,  a  most  capable  chorus  of  young, 
fresh  voices,  artists  who,  if  not  great,  were  yet  effi- 
cient, the  largest  and  best-trained  ballet  ever  seen 
on  the  American  stage,  and  scenery,  costumes,  and 


1 88  THEODORE  THOMAS 

properties  in  lavish  profusion,  and  at  the  head  of  all 
this  was  the  most  accomplished  conductor  in  the  coun- 
try. Surely  he  had  reason  to  begin  his  work  enthusi- 
astically, and  good  grounds  for  hope  that  it  would 
be  supported  by  the  American  people  and  prove  a 
success.  And  yet,  before  two  years  had  elapsed,  he 
wrote  upon  the  back  of  the  programme  of  his  last 
performance,  "the  most  dreadful  experience  I  have 
ever  had!" 

The  principal  singers  engaged  for  the  first  season, 
which  began  in  New  York  January  4,  1886,  and 
closed  at  Albany  June  27  of  the  same  year,  were  as 
f ollows : 

Sopranos  —  Pauline  L'Allemand,  Helene  Hastreiter,  Char- 
lotte Walker,  Annis  Montague,  Kate  Bensberg,  May  Fielding, 
Christine  Dossert,  Minnie  Dilthey,  and  Emma  Juch. 

Mezzos  and  Contraltos  —  Mathilde  Phillipps,  Mathilde 
Muellenbach,  Sara  Barton,  Helen  Dudley  Campbell,  and  Jessie 
Bartlett  Davis. 

Tenors  —  Charles  Turner,  William  H.  Fessenden,  Whitney 
Mockridge,  Albert  Paulet,  George  Appleby,  and  William  Can- 
didus. 

Barytones  —  Alonzo  E.  Stoddard,  William  H.  Lee,  George 
Fox,  Homer  A.  Moore,  Eugene  E.  Oudin,  and  William  Ludwig. 

Bassos  —  William  H.  Hamilton,  John  Howson,  Edward  J. 
O'Mahony,  and  Myron  W.  Whitney. 

The  repertory  for  that  season  included  Goetz's 
"Taming  of  the  Shrew"  (given  for  the  first  time  in 
this  country,  New  York,  January  4,  1886),  performed 
five  times;  Gluck's  "Orpheus,"  thirty  times;  Wag- 
ner's "Lohengrin,"  fifteen  times;  Mozart's  "Magic 
Flute,"  five  times;  Nicolai's  "Merry  Wives  of 


REMINISCENCE  AND  APPRECIATION       189 

Windsor,"  fourteen  times;  Delibes's  "Lakme," 
twenty-five  times;  Wagner's  "Flying  Dutchman," 
eighteen  times;  Masse's  "The  Marriage  of  Jean- 
nette,"  and  Delibes's  spectacular  ballet,  "Sylvia," 
given  together,  fourteen  times  —  in  all,  one  hundred 
and  twenty-six  performances. 

The  principal  artists  engaged  for  the  second  sea- 
son, which  began  at  Philadelphia,  November  15, 1886, 
and  ended  in  collapse  in  Toronto,  June  1 8, 1887,  were 
as  follows: 

Sopranos  —  Mme.  Fursch-Madi,  Emma  Juch,  Pauline 
L'Allemand,  and  Bertha  Pierson. 

Mezzos  and  Contraltos  —  Cornelia  Van  Zanten,  Mathilde 
Phillipps,  and  Jessie  Bartlett  Davis. 

Tenors  —  Charles  Bassett,  Henry  Bates,  Charles  Wood, 
William  Candidus,  and  C.  W.  Lenmane. 

Barytones  —  William  Ludwig,  Alonzo  E.  Stoddard,  and 
John  E.  Brand. 

Bassos  —  Myron  W.  Whitney,  D.  M.  Babcock,  and  William 
H.  Hamilton. 

The  repertory  for  the  second  season1  included 
"Faust,"  "Oipheus,"  "Lakme,"  "Lohengrin,"  "Fly- 
ing Dutchman,"  '  'Aida,"  '  'Galatee,"  '  <Bal  Costume  " 

'I  am  unable  to  assign  the  number  of  representations 
of  each  opera,  as  in  the  first  season,  because  the  last  two  or 
three  months'  programmes  are  missing  from  the  Thomas  col- 
lection. In  common  with  sundry  other  property  of  the  Amer- 
ican Opera  Company,  a  trunk  containing  them  was  either 
carried  off  by  the  manager  to  keep  it  out  of  the  sheriff's  hands, 
or  the  sheriff  levied  upon  it  and  carried  it  off  for  the  benefit  of 
creditors  who  were  growing  uneasy.  Little  incidents  of  the 
kind  were  so  common  in  the  Spring  of  1887  that  the  librarian 
of  the  orchestra,  who  was  responsible  for  programmes,  is  un- 
certain as  to  the  fate  of  these  missing  ones. 


190  THEODORE  THOMAS 

music  of  Rubinstein  for  ballet,  '  'Marriage  of  Jean- 
nette,"  ''Sylvia,"  "Huguenots,"  "Merry  Wives  of 
Windsor,"  "Martha,"  the  ballet  "Coppelia,"  and 
Rubinstein's  "Nero,"  the  latter  given  for  the  first 
time  in  this  country  at  the  Metropolitan  Opera 
House,  New  York,  March  14,  1887.  To  this  per- 
formance, which  was  given  upon  a  most  brilliant 
scale,  the  composer  was  invited.  His  reply  to  the 
invitation  was  as  follows: 

ST.  PETERSBURG,  February  4. 

DEAR  SIR  :  — I  was  extremely  happy  to  hear  from  your  letter 
that  you  intend  to  perform  my  "Nero"  this  season  in  the  Amer- 
ican Opera.  All  I  wish  for  my  work  is  that  the  American 
public  should  be  as  kind  to  it  as  it  always  was  to  my  piano 
playing. 

It  pains  me  very  much  indeed  not  to  be  able  to  cross  the 
ocean  and  be  present  on  this  occasion  in  New  York,  but  the 
names  of  Mr.  Hock,  rggisseur,  and  Mr.  Theodore  Thomas, 
conductor,  insure  the  perfection  of  the  performance  and  quiet 
me  entirely  as  for  the  artistic  wants. 

I  shall  be  all  the  time  in  a  feverish  impatience  to  hear  about 
it,  and  hope  you  will  let  me  know  instantly  of  the  result  of  the 
performance  for  fas  and  nefas. 

I  humbly  pray  Mr.  Hock  and  Mr.  Thomas  that  the  cou- 
pures  they  surely  intend  to  undertake  in  the  work  (and  some  are 
indispensable,  as  the  work  is  long  and  fatiguing)  should  not 
become  amputations.  Believe  me,  dear  sir, 

Yours  very  sincerely, 

ANT.  RUBINSTEIN. 

During  the  second  season,  notwithstanding  Mr. 
Thomas's  herculean  efforts  to  make  American  opera 
successful,  and  notwithstanding  the  brilliant  manner 
in  which  every  opera  was  staged,  troubles  arose  and 


REMINISCENCE  AND  APPRECIATION       191 

rapidly  increased.  The  management  was  speedily 
in  arrears  to  every  one,  from  stage  hands  to  soloists, 
but  Mr.  Thomas,  who  was  unswervingly  loyal  to  his 
orchestra  musicians,  succeeded  in  keeping  them  paid, 
though,  as  I  have  said,  he  sacrificed  his  own  salary 
for  months  to  accomplish  it.  Strikes  among  the 
stage  hands,  the  chorus,  and  the  ballet  followed  in 
quick  succession.  How  to  provide  for  transporta- 
tion was  a  difficult  problem.  Sheriffs  had  to  be 
dodged.  Hotel  and  lodging-house  keepers  had  to  be 
satisfied.  Constables  with  writs  had  to  be  evaded. 
The  original  backers  of  the  enterprise  had  long  ago 
backed  the  other  way,  all  save  one,  who  was  so  finan- 
cially involved  that  she  was  unable,  or  at  least  un- 
willing, to  get  out  without  saving  something  from  the 
impending  wreck. 

Mr.  Thomas  held  on  to  his  unsalaried  position, 
and  worked  faithfully  to  save  the  organization,  but  at 
last,  when  the  affairs  of  the  American  Opera  Com- 
pany, Limited,  were  in  a  condition  for  which  there  is 
no  other  name  but  anarchy,  he  left  it  at  Buffalo,  June 
15,  1887.  The  poor  old  organization,  which  had 
just  vitality  enough  left  to  get  to  Toronto,  gave  one 
last  convulsive,  expiring  performance,  and  then  col- 
lapsed and  went  to  pieces,  fortunately  for  the  name 
of  the  thing,  in  a  foreign  land.  Even  then,  some  un- 
wise persons  sought  to  galvanize  it  into  life  again  — 
but  it  was  dead  beyond  all  hope  of  resurrection, 
leaving  behind  it  a  long  array  of  bills,  levies,  law- 
suits, and  sheriffs'  sales. 

On  the  ninth  of  July,  1887,  nearly  a  month  after 


192  THEODORE  THOMAS 

he  had  resigned  his  position,  Mr.  Thomas  wrote  a 
letter  to  the  management  of  the  company,  in  which 
he  said:  "We  have  had  in  ourselves  all  the  elements 
for  good  work  and  prosperity  if  only  the  first  and 
vital  condition  of  success  in  any  undertaking  had 
been  observed  by  the  directory  and  managers  of  the 
National  Opera  Company,  namely,  prompt  payment 
of  all  employes.  The  National  Opera  Company 
owes  me  between  five  and  six  months'  salary,  and  I 
have  put  the  matter  into  the  hands  of  my  lawyer. 
The  directors  have  had  ample  time  to  make  arrange- 
ments to  meet  their  indebtedness  to  the  members  of 
the  company." 

For  the  first  time  Mr.  Thomas  speaks  of  "my 
lawyer."  He  had  to  employ  a  lawyer,  who  vainly 
tried  to  collect  his  back  salary,  but  was  more  success- 
ful in  warding  off  the  many  suits  brought  against  him 
by  creditors  who  supposed  that  he  was  responsible 
for  the  debts  of  the  company.  On  the  thirtieth 
of  July  of  that  year,  Mrs.  Thurber  filed  a  bill  in  the 
Court  of  Chancery  at  Trenton,  N.  J.,  to  have  the 
company  declared  insolvent  and  a  receiver  appointed. 
August  27,  the  ill-fated  American  Opera  Company 
disappeared  from  the  musical  world.  Its  assets  were 
sold  under  foreclosure  of  mortgage  made  by  Mrs. 
Thurber  to  Mr.  Frank  R.  Lawrence.  The  total 
original  value  of  all  these  assets  was  $150,000.  They 
were  sold  for  $26,101. 

The  failure  of  this  scheme,  so  nobly  conceived  and 
with  such  a  legitimate  and  praiseworthy  object  in 
view,  was  a  source  of  keen  disappointment  to  Mr. 


THEODORE    THOMAS   IN    1888 


REMINISCENCE  AND  APPRECIATION       193 

Thomas,  the  more  so  because  it  happened  from  no 
fault  of  his,  and  because  he  had  to  suffer  for  the 
faults  of  others.  He  gave  the  American  people  an 
operatic  ensemble  such  as  they  had  never  seen  before 
and  an  orchestral  accompaniment  such  as  they  had 
never  heard  before.  It  was  an  experience  he  did  not 
like  to  talk  about.  Once,  in  our  consultations,  I  said 
to  him:  "Mr.  Thomas,  to  what  shall  I  attribute  the 
American  Opera  Company  disaster?"  He  replied: 
"To  inexperienced  and  misdirected  enthusiasm 
in  business  management,  and  to  misapplication 
of  money.  It  is  not  necessary  to  say  more  than 
that." 

Mr.  Thomas's  experience  with  expositions  was  un- 
fortunate. He  records  in  his  Autobiography  that  his 
musical  scheme  for  the  Centennial  Exposition  at 
Philadelphia  in  1876  was  '  'a  dismal  failure."  Seven- 
teen years  later  he  undertook  the  duties  of  Musical 
Director  at  the  Columbian  Exposition  in  Chicago, 
but  adverse  circumstances  forced  him  to  resign  his 
position  before  the  great  work  he  had  planned  was 
accomplished.  When,  in  1904,  he  was  consulted  by 
the  Commissioners  of  the  Louisiana  Purchase  Expo- 
sition at  St.  Louis,  he  advised  them  to  give  plenty  of 
military  band  music  out-of-doors,  as  people  did  not 
go  to  expositions  to  be  educated  but  to  be  amused. 
The  commissioners  wisely  followed  his  advice.  Some 
went  to  hear  the  great  organ  in  the  Festival  Hall,  but 
the  thousands  were  entertained  at  the  plaza  band- 
stands and  in  the  Tyrolean  Hall,  where  the  orchestra 


i94  THEODORE  THOMAS 

served  as  an  accompaniment  for  private  and  public 
banqueting,  certainly  not  as  an  educational  institu- 
tion. 

Every  one  who  has  the  interests  of  music  at  heart, 
and  who  recognizes  [the  far-reaching  importance  of 
the  scheme  which  Mr.  Thomas  sought  to  carry  out 
at  the  Columbian  Exposition,  must  regret  its  unfor- 
tunate outcome.  He  gave  a  great  deal  of  time  and 
labor,  after  his  appointment  as  Musical  Director,  to 
the  preparation  of  a  complete  exhibit  of  musical  art. 
In  this  exhibit  he  proposed  to  show  all  that  had  been 
done  in  music,  excepting  opera,  from  an  early  period 
in  its  development  to  the  present.  Two  large  music 
halls  were  built  on  the  Exposition  grounds,  one  for 
symphony  and  chamber  concerts,  the  other  for  fes- 
tivals and  daily  free  popular  concerts.  An  orchestra 
of  one  hundred  and  forty  players  was  engaged,  and 
all  the  elements  of  a  great  musical  exposition,  such  as 
had  never  been  attempted  elsewhere  in  Europe  or 
America,  were  provided. 

With  a  liberal  equipment  of  material,  and  with 
encouraging  prospects  before  him,  Mr.  Thomas  or- 
ganized his  bureau,  and  June  30  issued  the  following 
outline  of  the  scope  which  music  would  have  at  the 
Exposition : 

"  Recognizing  the  responsibility  of  his  position,  the  musical 
director  groups  all  intended  illustrations  around  two  central 
ideas: 

"  i.  To  make  a  complete  showing  to  the  world  of  musical 
progress  in  this  country  in  all  grades  and  departments,  from 
the  lowest  to  the  highest. 


REMINISCENCE  AND  APPRECIATION       195 

"  2.  To  bring  before  the  people  of  the  United  States  a  full 
illustration  of  music  in  its  highest  forms,  as  exemplified  by  the 
most  enlightened  nations  of  the  world. 

"In  order  to  carry  out  this  conception  of  the  unexampled 
opportunity  now  presented,  three  cooperative  conditions  are 
indispensable : 

"  i.  The  hearty  support  of  American  musicians,  amateurs 
and  societies,  for  participation  on  great  festival  occasions  of 
popular  music,  and  for  the  interpretation  of  the  most  advanced 
compositions,  American  and  foreign. 

"2.  The  presence  at  the  Exposition  of  many  of  the  rep- 
resentative musicians  of  the  world,  each  to  conduct  perform- 
ances of  his  own  principal  compositions  and  those  of  his  coun- 
trymen, all  upon  a  scale  of  the  utmost  completeness. 

"3.  A  provision  on  the  part  of  the  Exposition  authorities 
of  the  means  necessary  for  carrying  out  these  plans,  in  the 
erection  of  the  halls  indispensable  for  successful  performances, 
and  in  the  engagement  of  solo  artists,  orchestras,  and  bands." 

The  general  classification  of  concerts  during  the 
six  months,  May  to  October,  was  announced  by  the 
Bureau  as  follows: 

1 .  Popular  orchestral  concerts. 

2.  Symphony  concerts. 

3.  Festivals,  with  chorus,  orchestra,  and  eminent  soloists. 

4.  Concerts  by  famous  visiting  orchestras,   bands,   and 
choral  societies  from  other  cities. 

5.  Concerts  by  famous  European  or  American  artists  and 
composers,  exhibiting  their  own  works. 

6.  Open-air  band  concerts. 

7.  Chamber  concerts. 

8.  Amateur  concerts. 

To  what  extent  this  scheme  was  carried  out  the 
programmes  of  Volume  II.  of  the  present  work  will 
show. 


196  THEODORE  THOMAS 

The  inaugural  ceremonies  took  place  October  21, 
in  the  stately  Manufacturers'  and  Liberal  Arts  Build- 
ing. The  dedication  music,  which  was  performed 
under  Mr.  Thomas's  direction,  included  l  'Columbus 
March  and  Hymn,"  written  for  the  occasion  by  Prof. 
John  K.  Paine;  dedicatory  ode,  music  by  G.  W. 
Chadwick;  Mendelssohn's  cantata,  "To  the  Sons  of 
Art,"  accompanying  the  award  of  medals  to  the 
master  artists  of  the  Exposition:  Haydn's  chorus, 
"The  Heavens  are  telling";  Handel's  "Hallelujah" 
chorus;  the  "Star  Spangled  Banner"  and  "Hail 
Columbia,"  with  full  chorus  and  orchestral  accom- 
paniment; and  Beethoven's  chorus,  "In  Praise  of 
God."  The  musical  forces  for  the  occasion  were 
composed  of  the  following  musicians  of  Chicago: 
Apollo  Club  and  auxiliary,  700;  the  World's  Fair 
Children's  Chorus,  1,500;  surpliced  choirs,  500;  mem- 
bers of  quartette  choirs,  200;  German  societies, 
800;  Scandinavian  societies,  200;  Welsh  societies, 
200;  orchestra  and  bandsmen,  300,  besides  100  drum- 
mers for  a  few  phrases  in  the  Chadwick  music,  and 
six  additional  harps. 

As  a  further  evidence  of  the  comprehensiveness  of 
Mr.  Thomas's  scheme,  an  exhibition,  of  which 
Mrs.  Thomas  was  the  executive,  was  planned  which 
was  designed  to  show  the  musical  standard  of  the 
American  people  in  their  homes  and  private  life  — 
the  standard  of  the  audience  in  contradistinction  to 
that  of  the  stage.  To  illustrate  this  idea,  Mrs. 
Thomas  organized  a  convention  of  the  amateur 
musical  clubs  of  all  parts  of  the  country,  the  sessions 


REMINISCENCE  AND  APPRECIATION       197 

of  which  extended  through  four  days  In  May.  Its 
object  is  denned  in  the  following  paragraph,  quoted 
from  her  address  at  the  opening  meeting: 

"The  Bureau  of  Music  believes  that  these  meetings  of 
women's  amateur  musical  clubs  from  widely  separated  parts 
of  America  will  be  productive  of  important  results  by  showing 
the  world  the  character  and  quality  of  the  educational  work 
being  accomplished  by  women  in  this  direction;  by  stimulating 
the  formation  of  similar  clubs  in  places  where  they  do  not  yet 
exist,  and  by  the  interchange  of  ideas  which  will  take  place 
amongst  clubs  whose  homes,  objects,  and  methods  of  work  are 
so  widely  diverse." 

This  convention  was  successfully  carried  out. 
Many  clubs  accepted  the  invitation,  and  each  was 
assigned  forty  minutes  in  which  its  president  read  a 
short  paper  before  the  Convention,  sketching  its 
organization  and  work,  followed  by  a  programme 
rendered  by  its  delegates,  illustrating  its  standard  of 
musical  performance.  The  eight  sessions  of  the 
Convention  were  of  great  interest,  and  those  who 
attended  them  all  were  astonished  to  find  that  the 
musical  standard  of  the  clubs  farthest  removed  from 
the  great  centres,  such  as  those  of  Tacoma  and  Los 
Angeles,  in  the  far  West,  or  Portland,  Maine,  in  the 
far  East,  were  as  high  as  those  of  New  York  or  Chi- 
cago, and  their  performances  equally  good. 

Several  years  later,  a  number  of  musical  women, 
most  of  whom  had  been  delegates  to  this  convention, 
and  desired  to  perpetuate  the  good  work  inaugurated 
there,  organized  the  "National  Federation  of  Wo- 
men's Musical  Clubs,"  under  the  presidency  of  Mrs. 


198  THEODORE  THOMAS 

Edwin  F.  Uhl,  of  Grand  Rapids,  Michigan,  which 
now  numbers  many  thousands  of  members  in  all  parts 
of  America;  and  thus  one  of  the  objects  of  the  Con- 
vention has  been  realized.  Mrs.  Thomas  was  not 
connected  actively  with  this  work,  which  was  carried 
out  chiefly  by  Mrs.  Uhl,  and  Mrs.  Sutro  of  New  York, 
but  in  recognition  of  her  services  at  the  Columbian 
Exposition  Convention,  of  which  it  was  the  offspring, 
she  was  elected  its  Honorary  President. 

Such  were  the  general  outlines  of  this  great 
World's  Fair  music  scheme,  nobly  and  artistically 
conceived  and  successfully  carried  out  from  May 
until  August.  It  is  unnecessary  to  explain  the  rea- 
sons for  the  discontinuance  of  the  scheme.  Adverse 
influences  gradually  undermined  and  destroyed  the 
Bureau  of  Music  after  three  months  of  concerts  which 
those  who  heard  will  never  forget,  and  on  August  4 
Mr.  Thomas  resigned  his  position  and  sent  the  fol- 
lowing manly  communication  to  the  Chairman  of  the 
Music  Committee: 

CHICAGO,  August  4, 1893. 
JAMES  W.  ELLSWORTH,  ESQ., 

CHAIRMAN  COMMITTEE  ON  Music. 

DEAR  SIR:  —  The  discouraging  business  situation,  which 
must  of  necessity  react  upon  the  finances  of  the  Fair,  and  which 
makes  a  reduction  of  expenses  of  vital  importance  to  its  interests, 
prompts  me  to  make  the  following  suggestions,  by  which  the 
expenses  of  the  Bureau  may  be  lessened.  The  original  plans 
of  the  Bureau,  as  you  know,  were  made  with  the  design  of  giving, 
for  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  the  world,  a  perfect  and  com- 
plete exhibition  of  the  musical  art  in  all  its  branches.  Arrange- 
ments were  made  for  regular  orchestral  and  band  concerts;  for 


REMINISCENCE  AND  APPRECIATION       199 

performances  of  both  American  and  European  master-works  of 
the  present  day,  under  the  direction  of  their  composers;  for  con- 
certs by  distinguished  European  and  American  organizations; 
for  chamber  concerts  and  artists'  recitals;  for  women's  concerts, 
etc.,  besides  a  general  review  of  the  orchestral  literature  of  all 
kinds  and  countries,  in  symphony  and  popular  concerts  through- 
out the  season. 

The  reduction  of  expenses  at  the  Fair  has  obliged  the 
Bureau  to  cancel  all  engagements  made  with  foreign  and  Amer- 
ican artists  and  musical  organizations,  and  to  abandon  all  future 
festival  performances,  thus  leaving  very  little  of  the  original 
scheme  except  the  bands  and  the  great  Exposition  orchestra, 
with  which  are  given  every  day  popular  and  symphony  concerts. 
My  suggestion  is,  therefore,  since  so  large  a  portion  of  the 
musical  scheme  has  been  cut  away,  that  for  the  remainder  of 
the  Fair  music  shall  not  figure  as  an  art  at  all,  but  be  treated 
merely  on  the  basis  of  an  amusement.  More  of  this  sort  of 
music  is  undoubtedly  needed  at  the  Fair,  and  the  cheapest 
way  to  get  it  is  to  divide  our  two  fine  bands  into  four  small 
ones,  for  open-air  concerts,  and  our  Exposition  orchestra  into 
two  small  orchestras,  which  can  play  such  light  selections 
as  will  please  the  shifting  crowds  in  the  buildings  and  amuse 
them. 

If  this  plan  is  followed,  there  will  be  no  further  need  of  the 
services  of  the  musical  director,  and  in  order  that  your  com- 
mittee may  be  perfectly  free  to  act  in  accordance  with  the  fore- 
going suggestions,  and  reduce  the  expenses  of  the  musical 
department  to  their  lowest  terms,  I  herewith  respectfully 
tender  my  resignation  as  musical  director  of  the  World's 
Columbian  Exposition. 

Should,  however,  any  plans  suggest  themselves  to  you,  in 
furthering  which  I  can  be  of  assistance,  I  will  gladly  give  you 
my  services  without  payment. 

Very  respectfully, 

THEODORE  THOMAS, 

Musical  Director. 


200  THEODORE  THOMAS 

Mr.  Thomas's  resignation  was  accepted,  the 
orchestra  was  disbanded,  and  he  went  to  his  country 
home  for  much-needed  rest  until  the  regular  winter 
season  of  symphony  concerts  with  the  Chicago 
Orchestra  opened. 

It  will  never  cease  to  be  a  matter  of  regret  to  those 
interested  in  the  progress  of  music  that  this  great 
scheme  could  not  have  been  carried  out  as  Mr. 
Thomas  planned  it.  It  would  have  marked  an  epoch 
in  the  musical  history  of  the  world.  How  resolutely 
he  upheld  his  standards  of  performance,  and  what 
persistent  stress  he  laid  upon  the  elevation  of  music, 
is  shown  in  this  extract  from  one  of  his  many  bureau 
instructions: 

"The  musical  director  holds  that  while  cooperation  is 
asked  of  all  grades  of  attainment,  every  musical  illustration 
there  produced  must  be  justifiable  upon  artistic  principles; 
that  is  to  say,  it  must  be  what  it  honestly  purports  to  be.  The 
ounce  or  the  pound  of  progress  will  be  regarded  as  art,  and 
every  step,  from  the  lowest  to  the  highest,  will  be  acceptable 
provided  it  faces  in  the  right  direction,  thus  fulfilling  its  true 
use  and  popular  ministry." 

Through  his  entire  career,  whether  in  a  garden 
concert,  a  symphony  concert,  a  festival,  or  a  World's 
Exposition,  he  never  lost  sight  of  the  importance  of 
elevating  the  standard  of  music  and  educating  the 
popular  taste.  That  was  his  ambitious  determina- 
tion when,  in  1855,  a  young  man  of  twenty,  he  set 
the  standard,  and  though  it  cost  him  well-nigh  half 
a  century  of  labor,  and  he  had  to  face  disappointments 
and  overcome  obstacles  that  would  have  daunted 


REMINISCENCE  AND  APPRECIATION       201 

almost  any  other  musician,  he  lived  to  see  his  work 
accomplished,  and  knew  it  would  endure.  He 
"hitched  his  wagon  to  a  star" — and  it  remained 
there. 


XII 

THE  MUSICIAN 

^HEODORE  THOMAS  began  his  musical 
•*•  career  as  a  violinist,  and  during  the  years  of  his 
boyhood  and  youth  not  only  supported  himself  but 
helped  support  the  family  by  playing  anywhere  and 
everywhere  that  he  could  find  the  opportunity.  He 
has  said  himself  that  he  has  no  remembrance  of  a 
time  when  he  was  not  playing.  The  earliest  recorded 
appearance  on  his  programmes  as  a  violinist  is  in 
1852,  he  being  at  that  time  in  his  seventeenth  year, 
but  he  had  played  in  concerts  before  that,  and  was 
even  then  so  well  known  that  his  services  were  in  fre- 
quent demand  in  theatre  and  opera  orchestras,  as  well 
as  in  concert-rooms.  He  had  played  before  he  was  out 
of  his  teens  in  the  accompaniments  of  nearly  all  the 
great  singers  of  his  time,  some  of  them  the  greatest 
singers  of  all  times.  His  ability  was  so  reliable,  his 
musical  endowment  so  unmistakable,  and  his  quali- 
ties of  leadership  so  convincing,  that  he  was  soon 
promoted  from  the  ranks  to  the  position  of  concert- 
meister,  or  "leader,"  as  it  was  called  at  that  time. 
More  than  once,  in  the  absence  of  the  conductor,  he 
had  to  take  his  place,  and  at  such  times  never  failed 
to  give  signs  of  those  extraordinary  abilities  which 


202  THEODORE  THOMAS 

were  destined  to  be  manifested  in  after  years,  when 
the  bow  was  finally  exchanged  for  the  baton. 
Doubtless  had  he  continued  playing  the  violin  he 
would  have  become  a  famous  virtuoso,  but  "Frau 
Musica"  had  other  work  and  other  triumphs  for 
her  favorite.  His  musical  knowledge,  his  accu- 
rate musicianship,  his  perfect  ear,  and  his  ability 
in  producing  absolute  purity  of  tone,  as  well  as  his 
great  love  for  tone-color,  fitted  him  to  become  a  great 
violinist;  but  back  of  all  these  qualities  and  domi- 
nating them  was  the  noble  ambition  to  make  peo- 
ple acquainted  with  the  higher  music,  as  well  as  that 
perfect  mastery  of  self  and  sure  knowledge  of  his 
own  power  which  impelled  him  to  become  the  leader 
of  men,  the  interpreter  of  the  great  composers,  a 
player  upon  the  orchestral  choirs  rather  than  a  player 
upon  a  single  instrument.  He  had  all  the  ability 
and  all  the  knowledge  to  make  himself  one  of  the 
best  of  violinists,  but  his  temperament  urged  him  to 
become  not  a  player  but  a  leader  of  players  —  not  an 
Ysaye  or  Wilhelmj,  but  the  master  of  the  Ysayes  and 
Wilhelmjs. 

I  never  heard  Mr.  Thomas  play  in  his  days  of 
mastery.  There  are  few  living  who  have.  I  have 
been  with  him  on  social  occasions,  and  at  suppers 
with  his  orchestra,  when,  upon  urgent  request  of 
friends,  or  to  entertain  his  own  players, —  for  he  was 
always  in  the  best  of  humor  on  these  informal 
occasions, — he  would  take  the  violin  and  gratify 
them,  but  of  course  these  were  not  examples  of  his 
real  skill,  when  fingers  had  grown  stiff  from  want 


REMINISCENCE  AND  APPRECIATION       203 

of  practice  for  years,  and  arms  had  been  used  so  long 
for  time-beating.  But  even  on  such  occasions  there 
were  evidences  of  his  old-time  skill  and  purity  of 
tone.  It  is  upon  the  old  accounts,  therefore,  that  we 
must  rely  to  ascertain  his  position  as  a  violinist.  He 
was  first  violin  in  the  famous  Mason-Thomas  Quin- 
tette for  many  years,  and  two  members  of  that  quin- 
tette, Bergner,  the  'cellist,  and  Mason,  the  pianist, 
are  still  living.  Bergner  enthusiastically  said  upon 
one  occasion,  "One  of  the  best  violinists  in  the 
world  was  spoiled  to  make  the  best  conductor  in  the 
world."  In  his  "Memories  of  a  Musical  Life," 
William  Mason  more  critically  says : 

"  Thomas's  fame  as  a  conductor  has  entirely  overshadowed 
his  earlier  reputation  as  a  violinist.  He  had  a  large  tone,  the 
tone  of  a  player  of  the  highest  rank.  He  lacked  the  perfect 
finish  of  a  great  violinist,  but  he  played  in  a  large,  quiet,  and 
reposeful  manner.  This  seemed  to  pass  from  his  violin  playing 
into  his  conducting,  in  which  there  is  the  same  sense  of  large- 
ness and  dignity,  coupled,  however,  with  the  artistic  finish 
which  he  lacked  as  violinist." 

Some  contemporary  notices  of  his  playing  may 
help  the  reader  to  form  an  idea  of  his  ability  and 
style  as  a  violinist.  Of  his  playing  in  the  Beethoven 
Quartet  in  F,  op.  59,  at  one  of  the  Chamber  Concerts 
in  1855,  "The  New  York  Times"  says: 

"  Mr.  Thomas  is  a  young  and  praiseworthy  artist  who  reads 
with  great  accuracy,  but  who  is  not  quite  so  steady  in  the 
upper  part  of  the  instrument  as  a  sensitive  ear  requires.  There 
was  nothing,  however,  to  call  for  condemnation,  and  very  little 
even  of  false  intonation  to  mar  the  effect  of  a  great  and  thor- 
oughly appreciable  work." 


204  THEODORE  THOMAS 

"The  Musical  Review  and  Gazette,"  in  a  notice 
of  a  sacred  concert  given  April  14,  1856,  at  the  City 
Assembly  Rooms,  in  which  Carl  Bergmann  was  con- 
ductor and  Mr.  Thomas  ''leader,"  says: 

"Mendelssohn's  interesting  concerto  for  the  violin  was 
played  by  the  talented  leader,  Mr.  Thomas,  in  a  superb  manner, 
much  better  than  we  ever  heard  it  before  in  this  country.  The 
only  objection  we  would  make  is  to  the  somewhat  thin  tone 
of  the  player,  but  this,  we  presume,  was  more  the  fault  of  the 
instrument  than  of  the  performer."  * 

At  the  closing  concert  of  the  Mason-Thomas  sea- 
son, in  1856,  Mr.  Thomas  played  the  Bach  "Cha- 
conne."  The  correspondent  of  "  Dwight's  Journal 
of  Music"  says: 

"  Decidedly  the  most  wonderful  performance  of  the  concert 
was  Mr.  Thomas's  playing  of  the  celebrated  Chaconne  by  Bach. 
This  young  artist  (and  very  young  he  is,  although  the  stamp  of 
genius  matures  his  almost  boyish  face)  bids  fair  to  rise  high 
in  the  musical  world.  .  .  Young  Thomas  played  the  whole 
unfalteringly,  without  notes,  and  consequently  with  all  the 
more  freedom  and  abandon.  His  mechanism,  too,  gives  proof 
of  untiring  industry  in  practice,  but  more  than  all,  his  evident 
enjoyment  of  what  he  was  playing,  and  his  thorough  entering 
into  the  spirit  of  the  music,  showed  the  true  artist  in  him.  His 
choice  of  pieces  also  betokens  real  art  love  and  reverence. 
He  never  plays  any  but  good  music.  Such  men  are  or  ought 
to  be  the  missionaries  of  art  in  this  country."2 

1  Upon  the  programme  of  this  concert  in  the  Thomas  col- 
lection is  a  notation  in  which  Mr.  Thomas  complains  of  the 
inferiority  of  his  instrument. — EDR. 

2  Dwight's    correspondent    prophesied     better    than    he 
knew. — EDR. 


REMINISCENCE  AND  APPRECIATION       205 

Referring  to  a  Mason  and  Thomas  matinee  at  the 
Spengler  Institute,  April  19,  1858,  "The  New  York 
Tribune"  says: 

"  Mr.  Theodore  Thomas,  a  young  and  rising  artist,  whose 
modesty  is  only  equal  to  his  merit  —  indeed,  he  is  hardly  con- 
scious of  his  own  powers  —  and  who  is  well  known  as  a  devoted 
and  enthusiastic  laborer  in  the  higher  walks  of  art,  played  a 
solo  upon  the  violin,  by  Bach,  admirably,  and  received  an 
encore.  The  chief  points  in  Mr.  Thomas's  style  are  a  pure, 
full,  rich  tone,  and  unexceptionable  bowing;  he  is  also  an  ir- 
reproachable timeist  and  has  great  powers  of  execution." 

Mr.  Thomas  appeared  at  a  concert  in  Philadel- 
phia, June  10,  1858,  with  Carl  Formes,  the  basso, 
and  Musard.  "The  Evening  Journal"  of  that  city 

says: 

"  Mr.  Theodore  Thomas  created  a  very  pleasant  impression 
at  this  concert  by  his  correct  and  spirited  conductorship.  Mr. 
Thomas  is  a  young  man  of  large  and  brilliant  promise.  He  is 
wedded  to  his  art,  and  devotes  himself  to  it  with  assiduity  and 
enthusiasm.  As  a  violinist  he  is  already  eminent.  Thus 
much  in  all  sincerity  for  the  young  and  modest  leader,  whose 
name  does  not  appear  on  the  bills  in  letters  a  foot  high." 

Mr.  Thomas  was  in  Chicago  in  1859,  and  played 
at  a  concert  March  28,  in  which  Carl  Formes,  Satter, 
the  pianist,  and  Mile.  Poinsot,  vocalist,  also  appeared. 
"The  Illinois  Staats  Zeitung"  says: 

"Theodore  Thomas,  a  worthy  associate  of  these  artists, 
develops  an  extraordinary  volume  of  tone,  and  also  displays 
extraordinary  skill  in  bowing.  Mr.  Thomas's  art  shows  that 
he  has  devoted  himself  to  the  study  and  understanding  of 
musical  theory  with  unwearied  industry.  During  the  last  two 


206  THEODORE  THOMAS 

years  he  has  become  America's  most  accomplished  violinist. 
His  beautiful  staccato  and  admirable  performance  of  the 
Kreutzer  Sonata  are  worthy  of  the  highest  praise." 

November  24,  1860,  Mr.  Thomas  played  in  one 
of  the  famous  Wolfsohn 1  Chamber  Concerts  in 
Philadelphia,  of  which  the  correspondent  of 
' '  D wight's  Journal  of  Music  "  says: 

"  Mr.  Thomas  came  next,  playing  Schubert's  '  Tarentelle ' 
with  a  vigor  and  execution  unsurpassed.  As  a  leader  we  had 
heard  him  before  in  the  opera  orchestra,  and  had  remarked  his 
perfect  coolness  and  self-possession  when  the  conductor  was 
most  nervous  and  perplexed,  and  by  his  bowing  they  were 
several  times  prevented  from  coming  to  a  dead  halt.  With  his 
solo  every  one  was  delighted,  and  for  an  encore  he  played  a 
beautiful  reverie  by  Vieuxtemps." 

March  2,  1861,  he  again  played  in  the  Wolfsohn 
concerts,  and  the  Philadelphia  correspondent  of  the 
"Deutsche  Musikzeitung "  says: 

"Mr.  Theodore  Thomas  was  in  his  best  form,  and  the 
public,  whose  favorite  he  has  become,  lavished  upon  him  the 
heartiest  applause  and  frequent  recalls.  The  Berlioz  '  Reverie' 
which  he  played  is  as  restless  as  a  butterfly,  and  abounds  in 
rich  tone-color,  as  well  as  in  difficulties  which,  however,  were 
not  difficulties  for  him." 

At  the  first  concert  of  the  twenty-third  season 
(1862)  of  the  New  York  Philharmonic  Society,  Mr. 

1  Mr.  Carl  Wolfsohn  is  a  resident  of  Chicago  and  is  still 
teaching.  Chicago  owes  much  to  him  for  his  important  musical 
service.  He  was  one  of  the  first  to  guarantee  the  Chicago  Or- 
chestra concerts,  and  has  ever  been  a  stanch  friend  of  Mr. 
Thomas,  in  whose  earlier  concerts  he  often  played  and  with 
whom  he  gave  very  successful  chamber  concerts  in  Philadelphia 
in  the  early  days. 


REMINISCENCE  AND  APPRECIATION       207 

Thomas  played  the  Mendelssohn  Concerto,  op.  64. 
"The  New  York  Times "  says: 

"  The  second  solo  was  performed  by  Mr.  Theodore  Thomas, 
a  worthy  and  prominent  member  of  the  Society  who,  we  are 
glad  to  find,  is  at  length  acknowledged  to  be  able  to  play  the 
fiddle.  Mr.  Thomas  produced  °.  firm  tone  and  stops  abso- 
lutely in  time,  and  plays  without  any  affectation  of  sentiment. 
He  was  completely  successful." 

A  correspondent  of  "Dwight's  Journal  of  Music" 
writing  January  6,  1868,  of  his  playing  at  one  of  the 
Mason-Thomas  Chamber  Concerts,  says: 

"Mr.  Thomas  played  superbly.  We  have  gradually  be- 
come so  accustomed  to  that  gentle  preeminence  in  anything 
which  he  undertakes  that  we  sometimes  overlook  the  fact  that 
he  is  one  of  our  first  violinists.  His  performance  did  not  compare 
unfavorably  with  that  of  Joachim  in  this  same  sonata  (Bee- 
thoven's op.  47,  for  violin  and  piano).  He  deserves  the  greatest 
credit  for  acquitting  himself  so  well,  because  just  in  the  middle 
of  the  first  movement  one  of  his  violin  strings  snapped,  and  a 
delay  of  some  minutes  was  thereby  occasioned.  Mr.  Thomas's 
ease  and  insouciance  of  manner  were  enviable." 

The  most  important  pieces  in  Mr.  Thomas's  violin 
repertoire  which  I  have  been  able  to  find  in  his  pro- 
grammes are: — Lipinski's  "Concerto  Militaire"; 
Ernst's '  'Elegie"  and  '  'Otello"  theme  and  variations; 
Tartini's  "Trille  du  Diable";  Mozart's  Symphony 
Concertante,  for  violin  and  viola;  Berlioz's  "Ro- 
mance" and  "Reverie";  Raff's  Sonata,  op.  73; 
Vieuxtemps's  "Reverie,"  "Fantaisie  Caprice,"  and 
Concerto  in  E  major;  Schubert's  "Tarentelle"  and 
"Rondo  Brillante,"  op.  70;  Mendelssohn's  Concerto, 
op.  64;  Bach's  "Chaconne"  and  Double  Concerto; 


208  THEODORE  THOMAS 

Beethoven's  F  major  Romanza,  Kreutzer  Sonata, 
and  Concerto  in  D ;  Schumann's '  Tantaisie,"  op.  131 ; 
and  several  of  the  first-violin  parts  in  chamber  music 
of  Haydn,  Mozart,  Beethoven,  and  Brahms. 

The  citations  I  have  made  from  contemporary 
sources  of  information  may  serve  to  answer  the 
question  frequently  asked  during  the  latter  part  of 
his  life  —  how  did  Mr.  Thomas  play  ?  Before  leaving 
this  period  of  his  career,  the  following  letter,  which 
he  wrote  about  two  years  ago  to  a  prominent  music 
house  in  Chicago,  with  regard  to  the  well-known 
Hawley  collection  of  violins,  will  be  of  interest,  par- 
ticularly for  its  information  concerning  violin  bows 
and  the  Cremona  instruments. 

CHICAGO,  October  19,  1903. 

GENTLEMEN:  —  The  well-known  collection  of  violins,  form- 
erly owned  by  Mr.  Hawley,  of  Hartford,  and  which  you  have 
purchased  with  the  intention  of  placing  them  on  the  market,  I 
have  known  of  from  boyhood.  I  am  glad  that  they  will  now  fulfil 
their  mission,  and  pass  into  the  hands  of  artists  and  art-loving 
amateurs,  instead  of  being  silent,  locked  up  in  the  cases  of  a 
collector.  The  undertaking  can  hardly  be  called  a  speculation, 
as  there  are  risks  in  such  a  venture  which  make  it  difficult  to 
manage  successfully.  But  if  it  does  pay,  you  should  be  wel- 
come to  the  profits  of  the  transaction,  for  the  public  is  the 
gainer  thereby. 

It  is  safe  to  say  that  without  the  Cremona  instruments  of 
the  seventeenth  century  the  world  would  not  have  had  the 
master-works,  quartets,  and  symphonies  of  Haydn  and  Mozart. 
It  was,  in  particular,  Stradivari  who  created  a  tone  which  ap- 
pealed to  musicians,  and  Francois  Tourte,  born  1747,  died  1835, 
who  invented  a  bow  which  made  the  modern  orchestra — with 
all  its  shading  and  nuances  —  and  a  Beethoven,  possible. 


REMINISCENCE  AND  APPRECIATION       209 

Without  these  instruments  and  the  Tourte  bow,  invented  over  a 
century  later,  the  music  of  to-day  would  have  been  developed 
on  altogether  different  lines.  One  cannot  help  thinking  of  a 
quotation  from  Pascal,  that  if  Cleopatra's  nose  had  been 
shorter,  the  world's  history  would  have  been  different. 

The  best  Cremona  violin  is  as  much  an  art  work  as  a  great 
statue,  and  an  expert  will  derive  as  much  pleasure  from  con- 
templating its  form  as  from  a  fine  piece  of  sculpture.  The 
tone  of  these  instruments  in  master  hands  has  never  been 
equalled,  and  as  an  interpretative  vehicle  of  great  compositions 
they  are  a  necessity.  It  is  also  well  to  bear  in  mind  that  they 
are  becoming  daily  rarer.  Many  have  been  ruined  by  ignorance 
and  Europeans  are  not  willing  to  part  with  these  art  treasures 
any  more  than  with  their  national  paintings  and  sculptures. 

Of  the  thousands  of  men  and  women  studying  music,  but 
very  few  show  any  sign  of  having  a  soul.  Even  the  first  step 
toward  artistic  expression,  light  and  shade,  and  beauty  in  tone- 
color,  is  only  achieved  by  a  small  percentage,  and  consequently 
they  make  no  impression.  I  am  convinced  that  the  prime  reason 
for  this  defect  amongst  violinists  was  the  lack  of  a  good  instru- 
ment in  early  life,  which  might  have  awakened  a  sense  of  tone- 
quality,  instead  of  noise.  The  production  of  a  full,  soft,  warm 
tone  cannot  be  taught.  We  can  only  cultivate  and  develop  the 
sense  for  tone-color.  Johann  Joachim  Quantz,  a  musical  au- 
thority—  born  1697,  died  1773  — and  teacher  of  Frederick  the 
Great,  says, "  Auffassung  ist  die  Kunst  mit  der  Seele  zu  spielen." l 

In  placing  such  fine  instruments  within  the  reach  of  Ameri- 
can musicians,  your  undertaking  should  meet  the  appreciation 
and  encouragement  which  it  deserves. 

Yours  truly, 

THEODORE  THOMAS. 

In  the  early  days  of  his  career,  Mr.  Thomas  had 
a  strong  ambition  to  be  a  composer,  but  after  he 

1  Freely  translated,  "  Conception  is  the  art  of  playing  the 
soul  of  music." — EDR. 


210  THEODORE  THOMAS 

knew  his  own  powers  better  and  came  to  understand 
the  needs  of  the  time,  he  felt  convinced  that  he  could 
do  better  work  for  his  country  as  an  executant  than 
as  a  creator.  He  did  not  feel  that  his  creative  ability 
was  of  the  highest  order,  and  so  he  deliberately  made 
his  choice,  though  he  wrote  several  pieces  for  '  'occa- 
sions." As  an  arranger  of  piano  and  other  solo 
instrument  compositions  for  full,  or  string  orchestra, 
however,  and  an  adapter  of  the  old  music  for  the 
modern  orchestra,  his  work  was  of  the  highest 
importance,  because  of  his  absolute  knowledge  of 
orchestral  resources  and  his  musical  scholarship  and 
interpretative  ability.  He  seemed  to  read  the  very 
soul  of  the  composer  in  a  score,  and  to  have  an 
intuitive  sense  of  what  the  composer  would  have 
freely  expressed  had  he  not  been  hampered  by  the 
comparative  lack  of  instrumental  resources  in  his 
time.  In  this  respect  he  followed  in  the  steps  of 
Mendelssohn,  Robert  Franz,  Esser,  and  others.  A 
publication  of  the  works  which  he  has  thus  adapted 
for  orchestra,  as  well  as  of  his  markings  and  revisions 
to  supply  omissions  or  fill  out  mere  suggestions  in  the 
works  of  the  old  masters,  would  be  extremely  valu- 
able for  conductors  and  musicians  generally. 

Among  Bach's  works,  he  adapted  the  cantata, 
"Ein  feste  Burg,"  for  performance  at  the  fourth 
Cincinnati  Festival,  in  May,  1880.  In  this  cantata 
he  substituted  modern  instruments  for  the  obsolete 
ones  which  Bach  used,  such  as  the  viola  d'amore, 
viola  da  gamba,  oboe  d'amore,  oboe  da  cassia,  etc., 
filled  in  harmonies,  transposed  where  it  was  necessary 


REMINISCENCE  AND  APPRECIATION       211 

for  a  modern  instrument,  divided  the  instruments 
variously,  and  augmented  where  strength  was  effec- 
tive—  and  all  this  without  violating  the  traditions,  or 
introducing  any  foreign  matter  or  new  motives,  or  in 
any  way  destroying  the  balance  between  chorus  and 
orchestra.  Such  work  is  scholarly,  but  like  much 
scholarly  work,  it  passes  unnoticed.  He  has  also 
adapted  three  of  Bach's  violin  sonatas  —  the  andante 
and  allegro  of  No.  2,  which  is  set  for  the  full 
violin  section  of  the  orchestra,  with  the  correction 
of  some  errors;  the  No.  3,  E  major,  for  violin  and 
cembalo  (piano),  in  which  the  accompaniment  has 
been  filled  out  in  the  genuine  Bach  spirit;  and 
the  No.  5,  in  F  minor,  in  which  Mr.  Thomas  has 
assigned  the  solo- violin  part  to  the  violins  and 
violas  and  the  pianoforte  part  to  the  wood  winds 
and  basses.  Besides  these  sonatas,  Mr.  Thomas, 
using  the  copy  belonging  to  the  Leipsic  Bach  Ge- 
sellschaft,  restored  the  Suite  No.  2,  in  B  minor, 
to  its  original  form  by  correcting  phrasing  and 
expunging  the  numerous  errors  which  had  crept 
into  the  score  from  time  to  time,  and  adapted  it  to 
the  needs  of  the  modern  large  orchestra  without 
sacrificing  any  of  the  Bach  spirit.  He  was  always  a 
great  student  of  Bach.  In  his  earlier  years  his  aim 
was  to  adapt  Bach  to  the  modern  orchestra,  but 
during  the  last  few  years  of  his  life  he  returned  to  the 
old  forms  by  adapting  the  modern  orchestra  to  Bach, 
and  by  making  a  most  careful  study  and  reproduction 
of  the  classic  ornaments.  This  was  evidenced  in  his 
arrangement  of  the  Passion  Music,  and  especially  in 


212  THEODORE  THOMAS 

the  great  D  minor  Mass,  in  which  he  restored  the 
balance  of  the  Bach  orchestra  and  its  quality  of  tone. 
The  composition  of  his  orchestra  for  the  production 
of  this  mass  in  the  Cincinnati  Festivals  was  as  fol- 
lows: Four  first  flutes;  four  second  flutes;  two  oboes 
d'amore;  six  first  oboes;  six  second  oboes;  two  third 
oboes;  two  D  clarinets  and  four  A  clarinets,  to  take 
the  place  of  the  old  high  trumpets  in  the  original 
score;  eight  bassoons;  two  horns;  six  cornets;  four 
tympani,  and  the  usual  string  section.  His  markings 
and  additions  to  the  score  are  extremely  interesting, 
and,  although  numerous,  he  has  not  once  violated  the 
Bach  spirit.  On  the  other  hand,  he  produced  this 
mass  as  nearly  as  possible  as  Bach  produced  it.  It 
was  his  purpose,  and  had  he  lived  longer  he  would 
have  carried  it  out,  to  give  Bach's  music  with  a  Bach 
orchestra,  Mozart's  with  a  Mozart  orchestra,  and  the 
same  with  that  of  Beethoven,  Wagner,  Strauss,  and 
other  composers. 

One  of  the  most  popular  adaptations  made  by 
Mr.  Thomas  is  that  of  the  andante  and  variations 
from  Beethoven's  "Kreutzer  Sonata,"  with  which  he 
was  particularly  familiar,  not  only  from  frequent 
performances  of  the  violin  part  himself,  but  from 
having  conducted  it  on  so  many  occasions  when 
played  by  prominent  artists  —  most  prominent  of  all, 
Rubinstein  and  Wieniawski.  In  this  arrangement, 
the  theme  is  stated  by  the  English  horn,  first  violas, 
and  'cellos,  and  the  variations  are  assigned  to  a 
variety  of  instruments,  the  trumpets,  bells,  and 
violins  pizzicato  taking  the  theme  in  the  first  variation. 


REMINISCENCE  AND  APPRECIATION       2i$ 

The  analyst  of  the  Chicago  Orchestra  programmes, 
Mr.  Hubbard  William  Harris,  said  of  this  adapta- 
tion when  it  was  first  performed:  "Through- 
out the  entire  movement,  the  modifications  and 
enlargements  of  the  original  score  necessary  for  the 
present  style  of  performance  are  handled  with  fine 
musicianly  skill,  and  with  an  accuracy  of  judgment 
which  is  acquired  only  through  long  experience  with 
the  manifold  complexities  of  the  modern  orchestra" 
—  a  statement  which  is  characteristic  of  all  Mr. 
Thomas's  adaptations.  The  arrangement  was  made 
in  one  of  his  summer  vacations  at  his  much-loved 
'  Telsengarten,"  in  New  Hampshire,  and  is  dedicated 
to  his  friend,  Mrs.  J.  J.  Glessner.  The  title-page 
bears  the  inscription,  "Beethoven's  Theme  and 
Variations  from  the  'Kreutzer  Sonata,'  adapted  for 
Grand  Orchestra,  and  dedicated  to  the  Mistress  of 
the  'Rocks,'  by  Theodore  Thomas,  July,  1900,"  and 
the  last  page,  the  annotation,  "Fine,  July  n,  1900, 
Felsengarten." 

Mr.  Thomas's  felicity  in  adaptation  is  also  shown 
by  his  arrangements  of  the  Chopin  Polonaise  in 
A  flat,  and  the  "Marche  Funebre"  by  the  same  com- 
poser. When  Rubinstein  was  in  this  country  he 
besought  him  to  orchestrate  the  Polonaise,  but  he 
could  not  then  find  the  time.  Subsequently,  at  Mrs. 
Thomas's  request,  the  work  was  done  at  Felsen- 
garten, and  is  dedicated  to  her.  The  "Marche 
Funebre"  arrangement,  with  which  every  one  is 
familiar,  is  dedicated  to  Mrs.  E.  D.  Gillespie,  his 
friend  and  an  enthusiastic  promoter  of  music  and 


THEODORE  THOMAS 

the  arts,  who  died  in  Philadelphia  a  few  years  ago. 
Mr.  H.  M.  Finck,  the  accomplished  critic  of  "The 
New  York  Evening  Post,"  said  of  this  adaptation, 
when  the  Chicago  Orchestra  played  it  in  New  York : 

"  The  funeral  march,  wonderful  and  pathetic  as  it  is  on  the 
piano,  nevertheless  seems  to  call  for  the  sombre  colors  and  the 
overwhelming  power  of  the  orchestra  to  give  full  vent  to  its 
bitter  grief.  In  those  thrilling  fortissimos  which  follow  the 
slow  dull  thuds  of  the  march  movement,  and  which  Mr.  Thomas 
has  assigned  to  the  brass  choir,  there  is  a  world  of  heartrending 
agony  that  would  convulse  even  those  to  whom  music  is  usually 
an  unknown  language.  For  the  funeral  of  a  great  man  of 
genius,  the  grandest  piece  in  existence  is  the  Chopin  Funeral 
March  as  orchestrated  by  Theodore  Thomas."  l 

Among  lighter  works,  Mr.  Thomas  adapted 
Schubert's  three  marches,  op.  40  —  No.  i  for  full 
modern  orchestra,  No.  2  for  a  reduced  orchestra, 
strings  the  most  prominent,  and  No.  3,  same  arrange- 
ment as  No.  i,  but  without  drums;  also  a  concert 
ending  for  the  overture  to  Mozart's  '  'Don  Giovanni" ; 
Schumann's  "Traumerei";  Schubert's  "Serenade," 
"Erl  Konig,"  "Am  Meer,"  "Der  Doppelganger"; 
Wagner's  "Traume,"  and  several  settings  of  scenes 
as  well  as  of  single  numbers  from  his  operas,  among 
them  a  beautiful  arrangement  of  '  'Siegmund's  Love 
Song,"  and  other  songs  and  piano  compositions. 

Mr.  Thomas  was  not  a  creator  in  the  sense  that 

1  Mr.  Thomas  once  said  in  conversation  with  a  friend : 
"The  Chopin  Funeral  March  is  growing  hackneyed.  The 
'Eroica'  march  is  for  'a  great  man.'  The  Siegfried  march  is 
for  a  demigod.  What  shall  we  plain  people  have  for  our 
dirge  ?  Let  it  be  the  Beethoven  A  flat  Sonata  March."  His 
adaptation  of  the  last  named  is  extremely  impressive. 


REMINISCENCE  AND  APPRECIATION       215 

the  great  composers  are,  but  he  was  the  interpreter  of 
the  messages  of  the  composers,  with  the  ability  to 
transmit  them  to  the  world,  to  make  those  under- 
stand who  might  misunderstand,  to  make  those  listen 
who  are  indifferent,  to  rouse  thousands  of  people 
from  their  prejudices  or  their  lethargy,  and  make 
them  acquainted  with  the  great  thoughts  of  great 
souls,  and  to  read  what  is  to  them  a  sealed  book,  so 
that  they  shall  not  only  understand  but  come  to  love 
it.  In  this  sense  he  was  the  re-creator. 

It  was  as  the  conductor,  however,  as  the  inter- 
preter of  the  composer's  message  to  the  people,  that 
Theodore  Thomas  greatly  excelled  and  nobly  crowned 
his  mission,  though  in  the  supreme  moment  of  his 
career  the  cypress  was  interwoven  with  the  laurel. 
Few  have  come  to  that  position  more  richly  endowed. 
Practically  he  was  a  self-educated  musician,  as  he 
was  a  self-made  man.  From  the  first  he  was  master 
of  himself,  and  there  is  no  higher  quality  of  leader- 
ship than  this.  In  the  concert  orchestra  he  was  the 
dominant  player.  In  the  theatre  orchestra  he  was 
the  self-possessed  one  when  others  were  nervous. 
When  he  took  his  place  in  that  famous  Mason- 
Bergmann  organization,  he  dominated  it  at  once. 
He  dictated  its  programmes,  inspired  the  performance, 
and  his  four  associates,  though  older  musicians, 
never  disputed  his  supremacy.  He  was  born  to 
command.  He  had  great  power  over  men,  and  that 
extraordinary  gift  of  making  men  obey,  and  at  the 
same  time  holding  their  respect  and  admiration. 
Add  to  this  his  skilled  musicianship,  his  knowledge 


216  THEODORE  THOMAS 

of  the  resources  of  an  orchestra,  his  wonderful  musi- 
cal perception,  which  enabled  him  to  interpret  so 
accurately,  and  his  rare  gift  of  absolute  pitch,  it  is 
not  remarkable  that  at  the  first  opportunity  he 
dropped  the  bow  for  the  baton,  and  never  relinquished 
it,  never  faltered  in  his  great  task,  never  missed  a 
concert  or  a  rehearsal,  until  death  summoned  him. 
He  had  taken  the  baton  in  hand  forty-three  years 
before  for  a  lofty  purpose,  namely,  to  give  the  peo- 
ple the  best  music,  played  in  the  best  manner,  to 
make  them  acquainted  with  it,  to  make  them  inter- 
ested in  it,  to  make  them  like  it,  and  finally,  to  make 
them  impatient  of  the  trivial  and  unworthy.  He 
never  wavered  in  the  belief  that  he  could  do  this, 
and  the  end  crowned  his  work. 

Mr.  Thomas  also  brought  to  his  work  as  conduc- 
tor great  strength  and  simplicity  of  character,  a 
nature  not  given  to  the  emotional  or  sentimental,  but 
rather  intellectual,  forceful,  and  temperate.  He  had 
strong  passions,  well  under  control.  Under  great 
provocation,  his  wrath  would  fairly  blaze,  especially 
if  he  were  provoked  by  an  act  of  cruelty  or  injustice; 
but  he  was  usually  philosophical  and  patient.  Finally, 
he  had  the  same  faith  in  the  people  that  he  had  in 
himself.  He  was  sure  that  he  was  right,  and  he  was 
sure  that  the  people  would  see  he  was  right.  It  might 
take  ten,  twenty,  fifty  years,  but  he  knew  that  in  the 
end  truth  would  prevail.  I  met  him  once  at  the  time 
of  the  great  railroad  strike,  in  Chicago.  It  was  dur- 
ing the  summer  night  concerts,  and  that  evening  I 
went  to  the  Exposition  Building  much  earlier  than 


o 


•-: 


V.'       > 


REMINISCENCE  AND  APPRECIATION       217 

usual.  One  end  of  the  huge  structure  was  occupied 
by  troops.  At  the  concert  end  a  solitary  person  was 
sitting  at  one  of  the  tables  with  his  head  bowed  upon 
his  hands.  As  I  came  nearer,  in  the  dim  light,  I  saw 
it  was  Mr.  Thomas.  He  looked  up,  and  beckoned  to 
me.  I  sat  down  by  him.  He  said:  "I  guess  I  am  a 
little  blue  to-night.  I  have  been  thinking,  as  I  sat 
here,  that  I  have  been  swinging  the  baton  now  for 
fifteen  years,  and  I  do  not  see  that  the  people  are  any 
farther  ahead  than  when  I  began,  and,  as  far  as  my 
pocket  is  concerned,  I  am  not  as  well  off.  But,"  and 
he  brought  that  powerful  fist  of  his  down  on  the  table, 
"I  am  going  to  keep  on,  if  it  takes  another  fifteen 
years."  That  was  the  kind  of  man  needed  for  the 
kind  of  work  before  him — pioneer  work  in  a  most 
unpromising  soil,  sowing  seed  apparently  among  the 
stones,  hard  work,  discouraging  labor,  but  making  the 
way  easier  for  all  who  follow  him.  In  any  estimate 
of  the  work  he  did,  this  should  not  be  lost  sight  of. 
He  had  no  precedents,  no  traditions,  no  experiences 
of  others  to  aid  him  in  his  great  task.  He  was  doing 
the  kind  of  work  for  music  in  this  country  that  the 
first  settler  does  who  ploughs  his  furrows  in  the  pri- 
meval wilderness.  It  is  not  difficult  now  for  others 
to  follow  in  the  way  he  opened. 

It  is  probable  that  to  most  people  Mr.  Thomas 
appeared  impassive  and  unemotional  in  the  concert- 
room.  They  could  not  see  his  face,  and  perhaps  they 
did  not  observe  the  significance  of  his  quiet  and 
graceful  motions.  They  had  not  seen  him'  in 
rehearsals,  where  the  real  work  was  done  —  and  well 


2i8  THEODORE  THOMAS 

done,  or  he  would  not  have  allowed  it  to  be  done  in 
public.  Some  persons,  observing  the  quietness  of 
his  beating,  his  easy  pose,  and  the  absence  of  physical 
gesticulations  or  frantic  demonstrations,  have  fancied 
perhaps,  that  the  orchestra  could  have  played  just  as 
well  without  him.  The  secret  of  his  ease  and  quiet- 
ness, however,  was  that  the  players  had  learned  their 
lessons  before  they  came  to  school,  and  that  with  such 
players  as  constitute  the  Chicago  Orchestra,  drilled 
and  trained  in  his  methods,  as  well  as  being  compe- 
tent musicians,  it  is  not  essential  that  there  should  be 
any  extraordinary  demonstrations  with  the  baton, 
jack-in-the-box  jumpings,  or  sensational  motions  of 
the  head,  arms,  and  feet.  These  sometimes  indicate 
that  the  conductor  is  posing  for  effect,  or  that  he  is 
not  confident  of  his  players'  ability  —  perhaps  not  of 
his  own.  An  "impression"  of  his  conducting,  which 
appeared  in  "The  Outlook"  for  February,  1905,  illus- 
trates this  point.  The  writer  says: 

"In  his  conduct  of  an  orchestra  in  the  concert-room  Mr. 
Thomas  had  always  seemed  to  me  impassive  and  imperturbable. 
The  perfection  of  his  orchestra's  work  I  recognized;  but  he 
seemed  to  be  not  only  without  passion,  but  without  feeling. 
.  .  .  I  had,  therefore,  entertained  a  notion,  the  truth  of 
which,  however,  I  always  suspected,  that  the  excellence  of  the 
interpretation  and  the  rendition  was  in  the  orchestra  rather 
than  in  the  leader.  Mr.  Thomas  seemed  to  me  simply  a  kind 
of  human  metronome,  beating  time.  I  learned  the  contrary  on 
one  occasion,  when  I  was  permitted  to  witness  one  of  his  private 
rehearsals.  At  a  certain  point  in  the  symphony,  which  the 
orchestra  was  playing  in  perfect  time  and  in  perfect  tune,  but 
with  a  certain  mechanical  effect  of  crescendo  and  diminuendo, 


REMINISCENCE  AND  APPRECIATION       219 

which,  however,  I  had  not  noticed,  he  suddenly  rapped  on  the 
music-stand  before  him.  The  orchestra  stopped;  with  hand 
and  foot  acting  together,  he  imitated  the  movement  of  an 
organ-grinder;  then,  with  only  a  word  to  indicate  the  bar  at 
which  the  orchestra  was  to  take  up  the  music,  he  struck  the 
music-rack  before  him  again  for  attention,  then,  with  the  move- 
ment of  his  baton,  gave  the  orchestra  the  signal,  and  they  re- 
peated the  passage  the  execution  of  which  by  dumb  signal  he 
had  criticized.  The  orchestra  repeated  the  passage  with  the 
spirit  and  fire,  before  lacking,  infused  into  it.  It  was  a  trifling 
incident,  but  a  significant  one." 

Mr.  Thomas  was  the  least  demonstrative  of  all 
the  great  leaders  of  his  day,  but  he  was  the  most 
graceful,  dignified,  and  easy  of  them.  He  knew  his 
players  intimately,  their  physical  and  moral  defects. 
If  their  defects  were  incurable,  he  soon  found  it 
out,  and  supplied  their  places.  He  never  tolerated 
scandals  of  any  kind  in  the  orchestra.  With  moral 
defects  he  had  little  patience,  and  once  displayed  in 
hours  of  duty  there  never  was  opportunity  for  a  sec- 
ond display,  no  matter  how  excellent  the  player 
might  be.  They,  in  turn,  knew  all  his  ways  almost 
intuitively.  He  really  had  no  code  of  signals,  for 
there  was  no  need  of  it.  His  right  hand  was  the  indi- 
cating member,  his  left  hand  the  persuasive  one  — 
and  how  gracefully  and  eloquently  persuasive  it  was, 
whether  in  the  Fifth  Symphony  of  Beethoven  or  the 
''Village  Swallows"  waltz  of  Strauss!  Some  of  his 
players  have  told  me  that  they  could  feel  his  beat,  so 
completely  was  he  in  touch  writh  them,  and  so  intimate 
the  sympathy  between  them.  It  was  a  kind  of  mag- 
netic leadership.  The  impression  which  he  made 


220  THEODORE  THOMAS 

upon  others,  others  sometimes  made  upon  him.    In 
an  interview  he  once  said : 

"  Before  the  first  note  is  played,  there  is  a  something  in 
the  air  that  whispers  what  sort  of  a  concert  we  are  going  to  have. 
Sometimes  I  breathe  it  in,  and  know  that  the  night  is  going  to 
be  a  triumph,  and  that  every  man  waiting  to  respond  to  the 
baton  is  determined  to  find  the  true  meaning  in  every  note  he 
plays.  Then  again  there  are  times  when  the  music,  though 
technically  correct,  is  mechanical,  the  audience  restless  and  un- 
sympathetic —  an  indefinite,  intangible  something  hovering  over 
everybody  that  says  as  plainly  as  if  it  had  a  human  voice, '  You 
cannot  win  hearts  to-night,  Theodore  Thomas.  Nature  is  out 
of  sorts.' " 

Sidney  Lanier,  the  poet,  also  musician,  has  put  on 
record  one  of  the  best  descriptions  ever  written  of 
Theodore  Thomas's  leading.  He  says: 

"To  see  Thomas  lead  is  music  itself.  His  baton  is  alive, 
full  of  grace,  of  symmetry;  he  maketh  no  gestures,  he  readeth 
his  score  almost  without  looking  at  it,  he  seeth  everybody, 
heareth  everything,  warneth  every  man,  encourageth  every  in- 
strument, quietly,  firmly,  marvellously.  Not  the  slightest  shade 
of  nonsense,  not  the  faintest  spark  of  affectation,  not  the 
minutest  grain  of  effect  is  in  him.  He  taketh  the  orchestra  in 
his  hand  as  if  it  were  a  pen,  and  writeth  with  it." 

It  has  been  said  that  he  was  a  martinet  in  his  dis^ 
cipline,  and  kept  his  players  at  such  a  distance  that 
they  stood  in  fear  of  him,  and  felt  that  they  were  mere 
machines.  It  is  true  that  he  was  autocratic  so  far  as 
music  was  concerned.  His  word  was  law,  and  he 
would  brook  no  opposition.  If  any  player  discov- 
ered that  he  knew  more  than  the  conductor,  and  did 
not  keep  that  knowledge  a  secret,  known  to  himself 


REMINISCENCE  AND  APPRECIATION       221 

only,  he  speedily  found  that  a  player  with  such  vast 
knowledge  was  not  needed,  even  though  he  might  be 
the  concertmeister,  as  once  or  twice  happened. 
When  some  one  was  commiserating  him  upon  the  loss 
of  his  first  violin,  he  coolly  replied:  "I  never  lose  any 
one."  He  was  intolerant  of  any  trifling,  or  boy's 
play,  among  his  men  at  rehearsals.  He  disapproved 
of  the  eccentricities  of  dress  and  manner  affected  by 
some  musicians.  He  was  sometimes  merciless  in  his 
musical  demands,  but  he  never  asked  his  men  to  do 
anything  he  was  not  ready  to  do  himself.  His  re- 
bukes were  always  brief,  but  pointed.  Once  in  a 
rehearsal  of  a  Mozart  symphony,  the  attack  was  not 
prompt  enough  to  suit  him.  "Some  people,"  he  said, 
"are  born  behind  time  and  never  catch  up  with  them- 
selves." At  one  rehearsal  the  playing  did  not  suit 
him.  It  was  careless  and  mechanical.  Suddenly  he 
raised  his  hand  —  he  rarely  rapped  upon  his  desk  as 
a  signal  either  to  begin  or  stop  —  and  the  music 
ceased.  With  a  significant  look  over  the  ranks  he 
said:  "Young  men,  I  am  sixty-eight  years  old,  and 
am  still  advancing.  There  are  some  of  you  who  will 
lose  your  places  right  away  if  you  continue  standing 
still."  It  is  needless  to  say  that  progress  was  made. 
Upon  another  occasion  Beethoven's  Ninth  Sym- 
phony was  in  rehearsal,  and  he  had  set  his  heart  upon 
an  excellent  performance  of  it.  Some  extra  players 
had  been  engaged  who  manifested  inexcusable  care- 
lessness in  not  coming  in  promptly  on  the  beat. 
He  remonstrated  with  them  several  times,  and, 
finally,  losing  his  patience,  threw  off  his  coat  and 


222  THEODORE  THOMAS 

announced  that  he  would  "thrash"  the  next  man 
who  came  in  out  of  time.  The  certainty  that  he 
would  do  so  had  its  effect,  and  from  that  time  the 
precision  of  the  outsiders  was  admirable. 

He  was  also  rigid  in  his  ideas  of  musical  decorum 
so  far  as  audiences  were  concerned.  He  has  explained, 
in  his  introduction  to  the  second  volume  of  this  work, 
why  he  disapproved  of  encores.  He  began  opposing 
them  at  his  very  first  concert,  and  in  all  the  years 
which  followed,  he  never  yielded  where  an  encore 
would  injure  the  effect  of  his  admirably  constructed 
programmes.  Many  have  been  the  contests  he  has 
waged  with  audiences  upon  this  point.  It  is  a  proof 
of  the  high  esteem  in  which  he  was  held  that  they 
always  submitted  good-naturedly.  Late  coming  was 
another  of  his  aversions.  He  laid  down  the  law  to 
fashionable  patrons,  and  to  those  "born  late,"  in  his 
Central  Park  Garden  programmes  forty  years  ago. 
At  the  first  Cincinnati  Festival,  in  1873,  he  said  to 
the  committee  on  the  opening  day:  "When  I  com- 
mence the  'Te  Deum,'  you  will  close  the  doors  and 
admit  no  one  until  the  first  part  is  finished."  The 
committee  remonstrated  some,  as  they  were  afraid 
of  its  effect  upon  the  public.  Mr.  Thomas  replied 
firmly:  "It  must  be  done.  When  you  play  Offenbach 
or  Yankee  Doodle,  you  can  keep  your  doors  open. 
When  I  play  Handel's  'Te  Deum,'  they  must  be  shut. 
Those  who  appreciate  music  will  be  here  on  time. 
It  makes  little  difference  to  those  who  come  late  how 
much  they  lose."  He  was  rigid,  also,  in  the  enforce- 
ment of  rules  for  rehearsals.  In  his  long  service  as 


REMINISCENCE  AND  APPRECIATION       223 

conductor  he  not  only  never  was  absent  but  he  never 
was  tardy  at  a  rehearsal.  Promptly  on  the  minute 
he  was  in  his  place,  and  he  demanded  of  his  players 
that  they  should  be  equally  prompt.  No  outsider 
was  allowed  in  his  rehearsals.  He  once  explained  to 
me  the  reasons  for  this  rule.  Often  he  had  to 
rehearse  by  sections,  sometimes  by  small  groups,  and 
occasionally  he  had  to  call  a  single  player  to  account. 
Such  a  player,  he  said,  would  not  mind  going  over  a 
passage  again  and  again  before  the  orchestra,  but  it 
would  not  be  just  to  him  to  make  him  do  it  before 
outsiders. 

Never  was  leader  more  strict,  but  never  was 
leader  more  just  and  kind.  The  men  knew  that  he 
had  their  interests  at  heart,  that  he  was  thoroughly 
loyal  to  them,  that  he  would  sacrifice  himself  for 
them,  as  he  did  more  than  once,  and  that  in  moments 
of  success  he  always  unselfishly  sunk  himself  out  of 
sight  and  awarded  them  the  praise.  When  off  duty 
and  enjoying  himself  with  his  players  at  their  infor- 
mal functions,  he  was  a  boy  with  them,  and  led 
their  mirth  as  enthusiastically  as  he  led  their  music. 
Even  in  rehearsals,  when  all  was  going  well,  he 
kept  his  players  in  the  best  of  humor  with  his  hearty 
jokes  or  quiet  sarcasms,  but  when  things  were  not 
going  well,  Jove  frowned.  But  the  strongest  reason 
why  his  men  not  only  respected,  but  had  a  feeling  of 
affection  for  him,  was  because  they  never  questioned 
his  superior  attainments,  and  appreciated  the  kind, 
humane,  loving  nature  behind  his  austere  seeming. 

The  following  incident  shows  the  extraordinary 


224  THEODORE  THOMAS 

quickness  with  which  his  players  responded  to  him. 
In  a  festival  given  in  a  southern  city  a  choral  number 
with  instrumental  prelude  was  on  the  programme. 
The  chorus  came  in  four  bars  ahead  of  time,  causing 
a  frightful  discord;  but  in  an  instant  singers  and 
orchestra  were  moving  smoothly  along  as  if  nothing 
had  happened.  After  the  performance  the  manager 
inquired  of  Mr.  Thomas  how  it  was  done.  "Oh," 
was  the  reply,  "I  just  jumped  the  orchestra  ahead 
four  bars." 

He  also  had  a  quick  ear  for  false  notes,  and  never 
failed  to  locate  the  offender,  even  when  the  full  or- 
chestra was  in  action.  Once  in  rehearsing  the  "Good 
Friday  Spell,"  from  "Parsifal,"  he  suddenly  dropped 
his  hands,  and  the  music  stopped.  Glancing  at  a 
player  in  the  front  row  he  simply  said  to  him,  in  his 
peculiarly  high  pitched  tone  of  voice,  "Well  ?"  The 
offender  well  knew  what  he  meant.  "It  was  only  a 
wrong  note,  sir,"  he  replied,  "that  was  all."  "Oh! 
Only  a  wrong  note!  That  was  all,  was  it?"  with 
a  world  of  sarcastic  meaning  in  his  voice. 

In  July,  1904,  he  went  to  Milwaukee  from  his 
summer  home  in  New  Hampshire  to  conduct  the 
festival  of  the  North  Western  Sangerbund.  He  had 
considerable  trouble  with  some  of  the  local  players, 
who  had  been  hired  to  reinforce  his  own  orchestra, 
and  who  were  bent  upon  earning  their  salaries  as 
lightly  as  possible.  While  rehearsing,  he  noticed  one 
of  these  shirks  drawing  his  bow  in  a  peculiar  way. 
He  listened,  but  could  hear  no  tone  from  him.  Stop- 
ping the  orchestra,  he  called  him  to  the  front  rank, 


REMINISCENCE  AND  APPRECIATION       225 

where  he  had  to  play.  The  orchestra  had  hardly 
begun,  before  it  was  stopped  again,  and  Mr.  Thomas 
wrathfully  addressed  the  man:  "First,  you  don't  play 
at  all.  Then,  when  you  do  play,  you  play  all  wrong." 
He  did  not  put  in  an  appearance  again. 

His  recognition  of  any  new  peculiarity  in  the 
player,  or  any  change,  however  slight,  in  an  instru- 
ment, was  most  extraordinary.  Unger,  one  of  his 
'cellists,  had  had  his  instrument  repaired,  without 
Mr.  Thomas's  knowledge,  and  the  repairer  had 
changed  the  position  of  the  sound-post.  After  the 
rehearsal  of  the  first  number,  he  turned  to  him  and 
said:  "Is  that  a  new  instrument  you  have  there,  Mr. 
Unger  ?"  In  his  autobiography  he  has  himself  related 
an  incident,  which  occurred  in  the  New  York  Fes- 
tival of  1882,  illustrating  his  quickness  of  sight  as 
well  as  of  hearing.  His  gift  of  absolute  pitch  was 
infallible.  While  he  was  walking  with  a  friend  one 
day  in  the  street  a  whistle  sounded.  The  friend 
asked  him  if  he  could  give  the  tone.  "Oh,  yes;  the 
tone  is  C  sharp;  the  overtone  is  F  sharp,  or, 
rather,  G  flat." 

In  a  letter,  written  by  him  December  i,  1889,  Mr. 
Thomas,  referring  to  the  first  New  York  Philhar- 
monic concert  of  that  season,  tells  some  of  his  tribu- 
lations. He  writes: 

"  I  had  a  curious  rehearsal  this  morning,  and  I  had  to  do  a 
good  deal  of  fighting.  I  could  not  get  the  men  to  play  as  I 
wanted,  and  finally  I  slammed  the  score  on  the  floor  and  took 
up  another  number  with  the  same  difficulties;  but  at  last,  by 
talk  and  insistence,  and  making  stands  play  alone,  I  began  to 


226  THEODORE  THOMAS 

get  the  effects  I  wanted,  and  behold,  it  went  to  the  ears  and 
hearts  of  the  men,  and  then,  of  course,  it  was  easy.  They  were 
more  delighted  than  I  was  when  they  heard  the  result  and 
understood  what  I  wanted;  but  that  is  a  terrible  fight — over  a 
hundred  men  of  ability  trying  for  something,  and  one  man 
beating  the  stand,  shouting  at  the  top  of  his  voice,  scolding, 
entreating,  etc.,  and  finally  taking  out  his  watch  to  show  them 
all  that  it  has  taken  an  hour.  The  trouble  is,  they  can  play 
elsewhere  as  they  please,  and  when  they  come  to  me  after  a 
short  interval  it  always  takes  half  of  the  first  rehearsal  time  be- 
fore they  again  realize  the  proportions  and  proper  conditions. 
Well,  I  feel  better  for  the  fight,  and  it  is  also  a  satisfaction  to 
have  the  whole  profession  stand  and  own  it  up." 

William  Mason  is  right  when  he  says,  in  his 
"Memories  of  a  Musical  Life,"  that  Mr.  Thomas's 
"talent  for  programme  making,  by  putting  pieces  in 
the  right  order  and  sequence,  thus  avoiding  incongru- 
ities, was  unsurpassed . "  He  showed  this  ability  at  the 
outset  of  his  career,  when  he  was  making  programmes 
for  the  Mason-Bergmann  concerts  in  his  twentieth 
year  —  programmes  of  a  kind  that  led  Bergmann  to 
say,  "You  have  lifted  the  veil  from  our  eyes."  In 
one  of  his  earliest  symphony  concerts  in  Boston 
(1866),  they  played  the  following  perfectly  con- 
structed programme:  Overture  to  "Manfred,"  Schu- 
mann; concerto  for  two  pianos,  Mozart;  introduction 
to  "Tristan  and  Isolde,"  Wagner;  and  Fifth  Sym- 
phony, Beethoven.  After  the  concert  "The  Boston 
Orpheus"  said: 

"  And  now  let  me  say  one  word  in  regard  to  the  taste  with 
which  Mr.  Thomas  had  made  the  programme,  even  if  I  run 
the  risk  of  being  denounced  as  partial  and  in  favor  of  that 
gentleman's  ruling  the  instrumental  music  in  New  York.  The 


REMINISCENCE  AND  APPRECIATION       227 

programme  is  short.  It  comprises  music  from  a  period  of 
more  than  two  hundred  years.  The  classical  and  romantic 
schools  are  well  and  equally  balanced.  There  is  a  unity  of 
character  in  the  whole  programme  —  a  character  of  loftiness 
and  nobility,  and  properly  the  programme  ends  with  the  jubilant 
and  soaring  flight  of  the  soul  in  the  finale  of  the  Fifth  Symphony. 
It  is  my  opinion  that  it  is  just  as  difficult  to  make  a  good  pro- 
gramme as  it  is  to  conduct  well.  In  this  art  Mr.  Thomas  has 
not  been  outdone  by  any  one  in  this  country." 

This  is  high  and  merited  praise  for  this  one  pro- 
gramme, but  it  is  equally  due  to  thousands  more  in 
his  half-century  of  programme  making.  Instances 
of  his  consummate  skill  are  thickly  strewn  through 
the  programme  groups  in  the  second  volume  of  this 
work.  Though  the  old  music  constituted  the  prin- 
cipal part  of  their  framework,  and  Beethoven  and 
Wagner  were  his  "pillars,"  yet  he  was  always  on  the 
alert  for  new  music.  Some  pieces  he  read  through 
and  never  tried.  He  had  his  orchestra  play  through 
others  for  a  surer  test,  and  many  of  these  pieces  were 
carefully  consigned  to  Mr.  McNicol,  his  librarian, 
with  the  remark,  "More  stuff  for  the  closet,  Mac." 
And  yet,  of  late  years,  he  rarely  made  a  programme 
which  did  not  contain  new  music.  I  asked  him  once 
why  he  played  so  much  of  it.  He  replied:  "People 
cannot  read  the  new  music,  but  they  should  keep 
abreast  of  it,  and  the  only  way  to  know  it  is  to  hear 
it.  It  does  not  follow  that  I  approve  or  indorse  it 
because  I  play  it.  It  is  due  to  the  public  to  hear  it 
once.  This  has  been  a  lifelong  idea  with  me." 

In  this  connection  attention  may  be  called  to  the 
chronological  list  of  works  which  Mr.  Thomas  pro- 


228  THEODORE  THOMAS 

duced  for  the  first  time  in  this  country,  and  which  will 
be  found  near  the  end  of  the  second  volume.  Since 
that  compilation  was  made,  I  have  received  from  Mr. 
Bernhard  Ziehn,  the  well-known  musical  theorist 
and  scholar,  a  list  made  two  years  ago  showing  the 
dates  at  which  Mr.  Thomas  produced  noted  compo- 
sitions, and  the  time  at  which  they  were  first  heard 
in  European  cities,  which  are  usually  supposed  to 
be  progressive.  The  list  is  as  follows: 

Franck,  "Les  Bolides"  .  .  Chicago,  1895;  Vienna,  1903 
Strauss,  R.,  "Eulenspiegel"  .  Chicago,  1895;  Vienna,  1903 
Bruckner,  Symphony  No.  7  Chicago,  1893;  Dortmund,  1903 
Charpentier,  "  Impressions  d'ltalie  "  .  Chicago,  1893; 

Frankfurt  a'M.,  Sondershausen,  1903. 

Liszt,  "Mephisto  Waltz"  .  .  Chicago,  1893;  Hanover,  1903 
Tschaikowsky,  "Francesca  da  Rimini"  .  Chicago,  1896; 

Vienna,  1903. 

Franck,  "Le  Chasseur  Maudit"  Chicago,  1898;  Hanover,  1903 
Glazounow,  "Le  Printemps"        Chicago,  1898;  Munich,  1903 
D'Indy,  "Istar"       .         Chicago,  1898;  Sondershausen,  1903 
Dukas,  "L'Apprenti  Sorcier"  .    Chicago,  1900;  Dresden- 
Munich,  1903. 

Franck,  Symphony,  D  minor    .      Chicago,  1900;  Frank- 
furt a'M.,  1903. 
Bruckner,  Symphony  No.  3      .    Chicago,  1901;  Dessau- 

Leipsic,  1903. 

Fibich,  "Evening"  .  .  .  Chicago,  1901;  Vienna,  1903 
Schillings,  "Prologue  to  King  CEdipus"  .  Chicago,  1901; 

Stuttgart,  1903. 

Weingartner,  Symphony'No.  2  .  Chicago,  1901;  Berlin,  1903 
Humperdinck,  "  Dornroschen" .  Chicago,  1902 ;  Berlin,  1903 
Hausegger,  "  Barbarossa "  .  Chicago,  1902;  Bremen,  1903 
Sibelius,  "  Christian  II. "  .  .  Chicago,  1902;  Munich,  1903 


REMINISCENCE  AND  APPRECIATION       229 
Mr.  Ziehn  also  says: 

"Furthermore,  for  some  years  the  Chicago  Orchestra, 
under  the  direction  of  Theodore  Thomas,  has  been  the  only 
orchestra  in  this,  as  well  as  foreign  countries,  which  executes 
the  ornaments  of  classic  compositions  correctly  as  explained 
by  Quantz,  Leopold  Mozart,  C.  Ph.  Em.  Bach,  and  others,  and 
before  that  time  there  was  none  since  the  classic  era.  These 
two  out  of  a  great  many  items  of  importance  are  sufficient  to 
answer  the  question,  'Shall  this  orchestra  go ?'" ' 

In  describing  his  system  of  programme  making, 
Mr.  Thomas  speaks  of  Beethoven  and  Wagner  as 
the  two  ''pillars"  of  his  programmes  in  earlier  years. 
In  later  years,  they  were  not  so  necessary.  His  pro- 
grammes, so  to  speak,  could  stand  alone,  so  great 
had  been  the  progress  of  popular  taste  and  appreci- 
ation. He  could  introduce  more  new  matter  and 
freely  acquaint  his  hearers  with  what  was  going 
on  in  the  musical  world  without  any  danger  of  their 
"running  after  false  gods."  He  knew  that  they 
would  accept  his  standards  of  taste.  So  of  late 
years  he  gave  much  attention  to  the  works  of  Ameri- 
can composers,  drew  liberally  from  the  Russian, 
Bohemian,  and  Scandinavian  schools,  and  promi- 
nently brought  out  the  music  of  the  advanced  style, 
represented  by  Richard  Strauss  and  others,  as  well 
as  the  much  disputed  works  of  Bruckner  and  his 
disciples.  What  French  art  also  owes  to  him  is 
shown  by  a  letter  of  condolence  to  his  widow  from 
the  celebrated  composer  Vincent  d'Indy,  in  which 

1  This  was  written  at  a  time  when  the  existence  of  the  orches- 
tra was  at  stake. — EDR. 


230  THEODORE  THOMAS 

he  says,  "Accept,  Mme.  Thomas,  this  expression 
of  profound  sympathy  for  the  cruel  loss  which 
musical  art  has  sustained  by  the  death  of  the  illus- 
trious master  to  whom  French  composers  and 
M.  d'Indy  in  particular,  are  solely  indebted  for 
their  recognition  in  America." 

Nothing  that  was  new  and  worth  hearing  escaped 
his  vigilant  eye.  His  programmes,  especially  since 
the  organization  of  the  Chicago  Orchestra,  are  a 
record  of  musical  accomplishment  during  fourteen 
years  in  every  field  of  music.  Thus  his  audiences 
have  been  kept  abreast  of  musical  thought  and  crea- 
tion. It  is  doubtful  indeed  whether  any  other  audi- 
ences in  the  world  have  been  as  well  "posted"  in 
contemporary  musical  literature.  And  yet  he  never 
neglected  the  old  for  the  sake  of  the  new.  To  the 
end  Beethoven  remained  the  foundation  of  his  pro- 
grammes and  Wagner  was  their  strong  dramatic 
support,  but  at  the  same  time  what  other  conductor 
has  done  a  greater  and  more  enduring  work  for 
Mozart,  Haydn,  Schumann,  Schubert,  and  Brahms, 
as  well  as  Liszt,  Berlioz,  Tschaikowsky,  and  Rubin- 
stein ?  What  other  conductor  has  done  the  musi- 
cal world  more  important  service  in  making  it  ac- 
quainted with  Bach  through  the  medium  of  scholar- 
ly adaptations  and  arrangements,  to  which  I  have 
made  reference  elsewhere  in  this  volume  ?  He  had 
that  broad  catholicity  of  taste  which  recognized  the 
value  of  the  best  modern  works  as  well  as  of  the 
accepted  classics. 

While   studying   his   immense   half-century   col- 


i  >::•. 
WORLDS  COLUMBIAN 

THEODORE   THOMAS. 


7 
,  \j 


+ 

c,   . 


FACSIMILE   OF   A    LETTER 


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WRITTEN    BY   MR.   THOMAS   IN    1892 


REMINISCENCE  AND  APPRECIATION       231 

lection  of  programmes  I  was  continually  impressed 
with  his  preference  for  Beethoven,  not  alone  for  his 
symphonies  but  for  his  overtures  and  incidental 
music,  his  readings  of  which  came  at  last  to  be 
authoritative.  Who  ever  studied  him  more  closely, 
more  intelligently?  It  was  a  labor  of  love,  almost 
a  labor  of  life  with  him.  He  had  conducted  the 
Fifth  Symphony  hundreds  of  times,  and  yet  every 
time  that  he  took  it  up  the  performance  showed 
the  influence  of  fresh  care  in  phrasing  or  tone-quality, 
to  make  it  more  effective,  and  more  elasticity  in 
conducting.  He  has  been  criticized  by  the  con- 
servative for  his  tempos,  but  the  fact  remains  that 
he  had  no  equal  as  a  conductor  of  the  Beethoven 
symphonies,  especially  of  his  favorite  three,  the 
"Eroica,"  the  Fifth,  and  the  Ninth,  and  no  equal 
as  a  conductor  of  the  "Fidelio"  overtures,  the 
"Coriolanus"  overture,  the  "Egmont"  music,  the 
"Prometheus"  ballet,  or,  among  the  choral  works, 
the  Mass  in  D.  In  his  hours  of  leisure  during  the 
last  few  years  he  prepared  analyses  of  the  first  five 
symphonies  and  had  intended  to  prepare  the  other 
four  in  a  similar  manner,  but  death  prevented  the 
fulfilment  of  his  purpose.  The  five  which  he  has 
finished,  however,  are  masterpieces  of  musical  study 
and  skill,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  some  day  they 
may  be  given  to  the  musical  world. 

In  this  connection,  the  following  extract  from  a 
letter  written  to  me  by  Dr.  Julius  Fuchs,  the  musical 
scholar  and  writer,  who  was  a  friend  of  Mr.  Thomas 
many  years,  is  of  special  interest: 


232  THEODORE  THOMAS 

"  It  should  be  a  duty  to  keep  his  library  intact.1  The  works, 
of  course,  may  be  replaced  for  money,  but  what  has  been  written 
down  by  this  giant  with  his  meritorious  and  technical  additions 
to  the  classics,  can  never  be  rebought.  These  so  exact  works  — 
exact  in  the  smallest  details  of  art,  should  be  kept  intact  and 
unchanged  as  models.  All  the  live  experiences  of  Liszt,  Billow, 
Klindworth,  Riemann,  etc.,  are  accessible  to  the  public  in  the 
editions  of  the  classics  for  piano  music  of  Robert  Franz  for 
vocal  music. 

"Thomas  was,  as  you  know  best  yourself,  a  man  of  practical 
deed.  He  mastered  work  which  would  have  taxed  the  powers 
of  many.  Hence  the  singleness  of  his  work,  the  singleness  of 
his  unexcelled  orchestra.  The  means  and  ways  for  this  model 
singleness  are  not  published.  As  yet,  we  have  no  'Edition 
Thomas '  of  the  orchestra  work  of  the  classics.  Now,  what  can 
be  done  so  that  this  life-work  shall  not  be  lost  to  art,  as  was, 
for  instance,  the  work  of  the  old  Miiller  String  Quartette  in 
Germany  ?  Every  great  leader  has  to  offer  the  classic  works 
together  with  his  own  individuality  in  order  to  influence  the 
public.  To  this  end,  however,  the  technical  means  of  execution 
will  always  change,  as  we  may  observe  in  the  various  con- 
ceptions and  the  technical  material  of  the  classics  of  piano 
music,  from  Liszt  to  the  present  time. 

"Now,  in  case  the  contents  of  the  Thomas  library  should 
be  made  use  of  for  public  performances,  permission  should  be 
granted  only  with  the  special  proviso  that  absolutely  no  changes 
should  be  made  in  any  direction  so  that  the  additions  made 
by  Thomas  may  remain  as  an  inheritance  of  his  conceptions 
until  a  'Thomas  Edition'  is  published.  I  mean  that  only  the 
works  contained  in  a  '  Thomas  Edition,'  or  such  as  are  already 
supplied  by  the  composers  themselves  with  all  technical  mate- 
rial, as,  for  instance,  the  Russian  compositions  of  the  present 

1  Steps  have  already  been  taken  in  this  direction,  and  all 
musicians  will  be  glad  to  know  that  his  scores  will  soon  be 
collected  and  classified  by  expert  hands  so  that  they  will  be 
available  for  reference. — EDR. 


REMINISCENCE  AND  APPRECIATION       233 

time,  should  be  open  for  public  performances  or  technical 
changes.  It  may  not  be  possible  to  keep  together  the  entire 
library  and  to  supplement  it  in  such  a  way  that  all  the  prom- 
inent works  of  the  present  time  will  be  contained  in  it,  but  as 
it  stands  it  is  unique  and  can  be  made  the  nucleus  of  a  library 
to  which  students  will  come  from  far  and  near  as  they  do  to 
the  library  of  the  Vatican  —  there  for  the  old,  to  America  for 
the  new. 

"When  the  'Amen'  of  the  'Hallelujah'  for  Thomas  has 
died  away  on  the  heights,  there  will  probably  be  no  end  to 
questions.  Beethoven  will  say,  'How  have  you  conquered 
this  violin  passage,  even  if  transposed  to  C  minor?' 

"And  Thomas  will  answer:  'How  could  you  write  so  un- 
practically ? ' 

"Beethoven  will  say  then:  'Had  I  known  that  you  were 
to  have  such  an  orchestra,  I  should  have  written  still  more 
difficult  music.  In  my  tune  there  was  no  Chicago,  no 
Thomas.' " 

Mr.  Thomas  gave  frequent  expression  to  his 
admiration  for  Beethoven.  It  was  his  belief  that 
"the  man  who  does  not  understand  Beethoven,  or 
has  not  been  under  his  spell,  has  not  half  lived  his 
life."  In  an  interview  he  once  said: 

"Take  Beethoven'?  music,  it  is  something  more  than  mere 
pleasure;  it  is  education,  thought,  emotion,  love,  and  hope. 
I  do  not  doubt  that  when  my  orchestra  plays  one  of  his  sym- 
phonies, every  soul  in  the  audience  is  stirred  in  a  different  way 
and  by  a  different  suggestion.  I  care  not  from  what  station 
in  life  come  the  thousands  who  sit  back  of  me.  Beethoven 
will  touch  each  according  to  his  needs,  and  the  very  same 
cadence  that  may  waft  the  thoughts  of  one  to  drowsy  delight 
or  oblivion  may  stir  the  heart  of  another  to  higher  aspirations  — 
may  give  another  hope  in  his  despair,  may  bring  to  yet  another 
a  message  of  love." 


THEODORE  THOMAS 

At  one  of  the  rehearsals  for  the  Cincinnati  May 
Festival  of  1904,  the  Bach  B  minor  mass  and  the 
Beethoven  Mass  in  D  were  taken  up.  Just  before 
beginning,  Mr.  Thomas,  turning  to  the  chorus,  said : 

"Ladies  and  gentlemen,  we  have  a  difficult  programme 
to  perform,  but  with  due  attention  from  your  side  to  the  con- 
ductor, I  think  this  Festival  will  be  memorable  in  history. 
By  due  attention  I  mean  you  must  not  take  your  eye  from  the 
conductor,  that  you  may  be  in  sympathy  with  him.  With 
Beethoven,  music  becomes  a  language,  which  is  the  most 
emotional,  and  never  sentimental.  There  is  none  of  that  so- 
called  'rubato'  desirable  in  his  style,  but  the  constant  light- 
and-shade  expression  marks  are  needed  to  give  life  to  every 
phrase,  which  you  cannot  do  without  the  aid  of  a  conductor. 
As  I  have  remarked  to  you  before,  you  must  often  allow  time 
for  expression  marks,  but  immediately  take  up  the  tempo 
again.  For  the  music  of  the  eighteenth  and  nineteenth  cen- 
turies you  must  allow  time  for  ornamentation ;  since  Beethoven, 
for  expression." 

While  the  music  of  Bach,  Mozart,  and  Beethoven 
held  the  highest  place  in  Mr.  Thomas's  esteem  he 
did  a  great  work  for  Wagner,  and  for  what  in 
Wagner's  day  was  called  "the  music  of  the  future." 
The  credit  for  giving  the  first  performance  of  a 
Wagner  composition  (the  overture  to '  'Tannhauser") 
in  this  country  belongs  to  Carl  Bergmann,  but  Mr. 
Thomas  was  the  first  to  make  the  .country  well 
acquainted  with  that  composer's  music.  With  the 
persistence  always  characteristic  of  him,  he  played 
it  over  and  over,  season  after  season  and  as  rapidly 
as  he  could  procure  the  manuscripts.  When  they 
were  accepted  only  under  protest  and  he  was  told 


REMINISCENCE  AND  APPRECIATION       235 

that  people  did  not  like  them,  he  coolly  replied: 
"Then  they  must  hear  them  till  they  do."  He 
did  not  have  to  force  them  upon  his  audiences, 
however,  after  the  New  York  Festival  of  1882, 
when  he  gave  selections  from  some  of  the  Wagner 
works  with  Frau  Materna  for  his  soloist,  and  the 
Wagner  festival  tour  of  1884,  in  which  he  had  the 
assistance  of  Winkelmann,  Scaria,  and  others,  and 
performed  selections  from  all  the  music-dramas, 
including  "Parsifal."  In  his  concerts,  also,  he 
greatly  advanced  the  Wagner  cult  by  his  fine  settings 
and  arrangements  for  the  concert  stage  and  at  last 
made  his  music  so  popular  that  the  "Wagner  nights" 
were  excelled  in  point  of  attendance  only  by  the 
"Beethoven  nights."  He  was  for  a  long  time 
accused  of  being  "a  Wagnerite,"  when  that  word 
conveyed  something  like  a  reproach,  but  he  was  in 
no  sense  a  Wagnerite.  He  exploited  Wagner's  music 
because  it  was  a  new  revelation  in  the  musical  world 
and  some  hailed  it  as  the  dawning  of  a  new  light 
which  was  to  eclipse  all  others.  This  he  never 
believed.  He  knew  that  Bach  and  Beethoven  and 
Mozart  had  laid  the  foundations  of  music  and  that 
they  never  would  be  disturbed.  But  he  thought 
it  due  to  the  people  that  they  should  be  well  informed 
and  keep  pace  with  what  was  going  on,  and  so  he  did 
for  Wagner  what  he  later  did  for  Richard  Strauss, 
and  in  both  cases  did  it  more  promptly  and  more 
thoroughly  than  any  other.  In  a  letter  to  me, 
reproduced  elsewhere1  in  facsimile,  he  says:  "I  do 
'Page  230,  Vol.  I. 


236  THEODORE  THOMAS 

not  care  to  dwell  long  on  the  subject  but  I  will  say 
that  I  have  neither  sympathy  nor  patience  with 
those  so-called  'musicians'  whose  education  begins 
and  ends  with  Wagner."  In  another  letter,  written 
in  1877,  when  he  was  busiest  with  Wagner's  music, 
he  writes:  ' 'I  am  a  Wagnerite,  but  not  in  the  modern 
and  New  York  sense.  Your  New  York  Wagnerite 
tramples  under  foot  everything  that  is  not  Wagnerian. 
I  do  not  think  I  can  be  accused  of  showing  a  lack 
of  appreciation  for  Wagner's  works  but  I  still  think 
there  is  something  else  besides  Wagnerian  music; 
so,  in  that  sense,  I  am  possibly  not  a  Wagnerite." 

Before  closing  this  appreciation  of  Mr.  Thomas, 
the  musician,  I  should  like  to  quote  another  impres- 
sion from  "The  Outlook,"  because  it  makes  an  in- 
teresting comparison  between  his  interpretation  and 
that  of  Mr.  Gericke,  a  conductor  for  whom  he  had 
high  respect.  The  writer  says: 

"  Sometime  in  the  eighties  I  happened  to  notice  in  a  New 
York  paper  the  advertisements  of  the  Thomas  Orchestra  and 
the  Boston  Symphony  Orchestra,  which  were  to  play  on  the 
same  day.  Mr.  Gericke  was  to  give  his  concert  in  the  after- 
noon at  old  Steinway  Hall,  and  Mr.  Thomas,  his  concert  in 
the  evening  at  the  Metropolitan  Opera  House.  As  I  looked 
over  the  programme  announced  in  the  paper  I  saw  that  each 
programme  had  on  its  list  of  compositions  to  be  given,  Gold- 
mark's  'Sakuntala'  overture.  Such  an  opportunity  to  hear 
two  of  the  great  orchestras  of  the  world  play  the  same  com- 
position on  the  same  day  was  not  to  be  missed,  and  so,  although 
I  had  to  consider  the  expenditure  both  of  time  and  money  in  my 
concert  going,  I  got  tickets  for  both  performances.  It  was 
well  worth  making  the  effort  to  hear  this  splendid  overture 
performed  by  two  great  conductors.  I  purposely  say  performed 


REMINISCENCE  AND  APPRECIATION       237 

by  two  great  conductors,  because  the  concerts  were  convinc- 
ing illustrations  of  the  fact  that  a  conductor  of  skill  and 
genius  plays  upon  his  band  of  men  as  an  organist  plays 
upon  his  organ.  Both  orchestras  were  composed  of  musicians 
of  the  first  rank,  and  of  expert,  technical  skill;  both  scores 
were  exactly  the  same;  the  same  instruments  were  used,  and 
in  the  same  number  and  with  the  same  volume  of  tone.  But 
there  was  quite  as  much  difference,  both  sensuously  and 
intellectually,  between  the  two  renderings  as  there  would  be 
between  a  reading  of  Hamlet's  Soliloquy  by  Sir  Henry  Irving 
and  by  Edwin  Booth.  Mr.  Gericke's  interpretation  as  I 
recollect  it,  was  the  more  definite  and  elegant;  Mr.  Thomas's 
the  more  temperamental  and  impressionistic.  Both  were 
beautiful  and  satisfactory  in  their  respective  ways.  I  learned, 
I  think,  one  lesson  from  this  experience  —  that  music  is  a 
plastic  art  and  that  it  is  folly  to  lay  down  rigid  lines  with  which 
any  given  composition  shall  be  performed  and  insist  that  all 
conductors  shall  follow  those  lines.  It  is  perfectly  logical  and 
reasonable  for  an  auditor  to  say  that  he  prefers  Irving's  Shy- 
lock  to  Edwin  Booth's,  but  it  is  unreasonable  for  him  to  assert 
that  preference  as  a  proof  that  his  friend  who  may  prefer 
Edwin  Booth's  interpretation  is  ignorant  or  stupid.  Inter- 
pretative art  has  a  very  wide  range.  If  this  were  not  so,  the 
best  way  to  hear  a  Beethoven  Symphony  would  be  when  it 
was  performed  upon  an  orchestrion  instead  of  by  an  orchestra. 
Theodore  Thomas's  genius  was  not  that  of  a  mere  discipli- 
narian of  a  band,  although  some  critics  have  laid  emphasis  upon 
his  skill  as  a  disciplinary  officer;  it  lay  in  the  power  of  his 
imagination  to  penetrate  a  composition  and  discover  its  hid- 
den and  poetic  meaning  and  then  to  inspire  his  men  with  an 
understanding  and  appreciation  of  that  meaning." 

Mr.  Thomas's  most  active,  personal  work  for 
music  was  measured  by  the  span  of  fifty  years. 
Forty-two  of  these  years  he  conducted  an  orches- 
tra, in  addition  to  performing  many  other  duties 


238  THEODORE  THOMAS 

connected  with  the  progress  of  music  in  this  country. 
He  reached  the  highest  standard  of  success  ever 
attained  by  a  musician  in  America,  and  left  an 
impression  upon  his  art  which  can  never  entirely 
disappear.  To  him  and  to  his  two  orchestras — the 
Thomas  Orchestra  in  the  East  and  the  Chicago 
Orchestra  in  the  West, — this  country  owes  its  edu- 
cation and  its  progress  in  instrumental  music  and 
to  a  large  extent  in  vocal  music  also.  He  accom- 
plished this  great  work  because  he  believed  in  him- 
self and  in  it.  Upon  the  very  threshold  of  his  career 
he  announced  his  high  purpose  and  no  obstacles 
were  too  great,  no  disappointments  too  bitter,  no 
antagonism  too  severe  to  cause  him  to  swerve  from 
it.  Often  despondent,  sometimes  almost  despairing, 
he  struggled  on  year  after  year.  He  reached  the 
goal  when  the  years  had  come  which  have  "no 
pleasure  in  them"  and  the  physical  powers  were 
waning,  but  his  eyes  did  not  close  in  final  slumber 
until  they  had  seen  the  triumph  of  that  cause  to 
which  he  devoted  himself  in  the  strength  of  his  young 
manhood,  and  he  had  heard  the  approving  "well 
done,  good  and  faithful  servant."  He  has  told  us 
himself  how  he  accomplished  it  — '  'by  perseverance, 
hard  work,  and  stern  discipline."  He  has  told  us 
what  was  his  greatest  pleasure  — '  'to  render  perfect 
music  perfectly."  He  has  told  us,  though  not  with 
that  intention,  of  what  must  have  been  his  great 
consolation  in  his  dark  hours  — '  'the  power  of  good 
music!  Who  among  us  can  tell  or  measure  it? 
Who  shall  say  how  many  hearts  it  has  soothed, 


REMINISCENCE  AND  APPRECIATION       239 

how  many  tired  brains  it  has  rested,  how  many 
sorrows  it  has  taken  away  ?  It  is  like  the  power  of 
conscience  —  mighty,  immeasurable." 

In  closing  this  sketch  of  Theodore  Thomas, 
the  Musician,  let  some  of  his  great  contemporaries, 
whose  words  are  authoritative,  declare  the  full  value, 
the  real  meaning,  and  the  actual  accomplishment  of 
the  two  orchestras  he  founded : 

"  I  have  found  in  America  something  that  I  least  expected 
to  find.  .  .  I  had  no  idea  that  such  a  new  country  had 
an  orchestra  like  Theodore  Thomas's.  Never  in  my  life, 
although  I  have  given  concerts  in  St.  Petersburg,  Vienna, 
Berlin,  Paris,  London,  and  other  great  centres,  have  I  found 
an  orchestra  that  was  as  perfect  as  the  organization  Theodore 
Thomas  has  created  and  built  up.  When  he  accompanies  me 
with  his  orchestra,  it  is  as  though  he  could  divine  my  thoughts 
and  then  as  though  his  orchestra  could  divine  his.  It  is  as 
perfect  as  the  work  of  some  gifted  pianist  accompanying  a 
singer  with  whom  he  has  often  rehearsed.  I  know  of  but  one 
orchestra  that  can  compare  with  that  of  Theodore  Thomas, 
and  that  is  the  orchestra  of  the  Imperial  Academy  of  Paris, 
which  was  established  by  the  first  Napoleon  in  the  year  1808, 
into  which  only  artists,  when  young,  are  admitted;  and  they 
may  have  any  number  of  rehearsals  until  they  arrive  at 
absolute  perfection.  It  is  that  orchestra  alone  which  is  as  per- 
fect as  Theodore  Thomas's  —  but,  alas,  they  have  no  Theo- 
dore Thomas  to  conduct  them." — Anton  Rubinstein. 

"  I  can  give  you  no  better  idea  of  my  opinion  of  the  Orches- 
tra than  by  saying  that  when  I  was  listening  to  it  I  said  to 
myself,  'I  wish  Wagner  himself  were  here  to  hear  his  music 
so  perfectly  rendered.'  It  was  magnificent,  grand,  nothing 
could  have  been  finer.  When  I  sang  in  Berlin  and  Vienna, 
Wagner  rehearsed  with  the  orchestra  most  carefully  until  it 
was  near  perfection.  But  that  Theodore  Thomas  should, 


240  THEODORE  THOMAS 

here  in  America,  and  without  having  heard  Wagner,  so  faith- 
fully reproduce  the  very  effects  which  I  heard  Wagner  teach  his 
musicians,  amazes  me.  It  was  simply  perfect." — Frau  Fried- 
rich-Materna. 

"I  have  always  supposed  the  Vienna  Orchestra  to  be  the 
best  in  the  world,  but  it  cannot  be  compared  with  the  Chicago 
Orchestra.  Thomas  plays  upon  his  orchestra  as  other  artists 
play  upon  a  solo  instrument." —  Cesar  Thomson. 

"  I  have  never  in  my  life  been  so  wonderfully  accompanied 
as  by  Theodore  Thomas  and  the  Chicago  Orchestra." — 
Eugene  Ysaye. 

"It  is  a  duty  as  well  as  a  pleasure  to  compliment  this 
Orchestra,  which  for  sight-reading,  promptness  of  attack, 
broadness  and  steadiness  of  tone,  firmness  and  delicacy  of 
touch,  has  no  superior  in  the  world;  and  I  consider  it  an  honor 
to  have  conducted  it." — Hans  Von  Billow. 

"Gentlemen: — I  came  here  in  the  pleasant  expectation 
of  finding  a  superior  orchestra,  but  you  have  far  surpassed 
my  expectations,  and  I  can  say  to  you  that  I  am  delighted 
to  know  you  as  an  orchestra  of  artists  in  which  beauty  of  tone, 
technical  perfection,  and  discipline  are  found  in  the  highest 
degree.  I  know  that  this  is  due  to  your,  by  me,  most  highly 
revered  meister,  Theodore  Thomas,  whom  I  have  known 
for  twenty  years,  and  whom  it  gives  me  inexpressible  pleasure 
to  meet  again  in  his  own  workroom.  Gentlemen,  such  a 
rehearsal  as  that  which  we  have  held  this  morning  is  no  labor, 
but  a  great  pleasure,  and  I  thank  you  all  for  the  hearty  good- 
will you  have  shown  toward  me." — Richard  Strauss's  address 
to  the  Chicago  Orchestra. 

"Theodore  Thomas,  under  whose  leadership  I  first  ap- 
peared [season  1898-99]  a  full-blooded  musician  of  the  Hans 
Richter  type,  should  serve  as  a  model  for  our  modern  time- 
beaters.  His  style  of  leading  is  a  convincing  proof  that  shades  of 


REMINISCENCE  AND  APPRECIATION       241 

expression  and  tonal  effects  may  be  produced  without  hysterics, 
contortions,  and  such  foolery.  He  has  his  excellent  band  under 
wonderful  control  and  produces  the  most  impressive  effects 
without  apparent  effort.  This  gifted  man,  whose  services 
for  the  musical  life  of  America  cannot  be  overstated,  is  as 
unostentatious  and  sensible  in  everyday  life  as  he  is  at  the 
desk." — Emil  Sauer. 

"  The  greatest  conductor  in  the  world  is  Theodore  Thomas." 
— Ignace  Jan  Paderewski. 

"Thomas's  Orchestra  is  in  truth  what  Americans  love 
to  call  it  with  national  pride  'the  unrivalled  orchestra  of  the 
world.'  Not  only  the  works  of  the  great  masters  are  played 
with  spirit  and  inspiration,  but  even  the  waltzes  of  Strauss 
are  given  with  a  piquancy  unequalled  anywhere.  This,  the 
writer  says,  in  view  of  the  fact  that  he  has  himself  been  a 
member  of  Strauss's  own  Vienna  Orchestra  and  other  great 
European  Orchestras." — Berlin  "Allgemeine  Muzikzeitung." 

Bernhard  Ziehn,  resident  in  Chicago,  and  well 
known  in  Europe  as  in  this  country  as  a  profound 
musical  theorist,  scientist  and  scholar,  is  an  expert 
in  all  matters  pertaining  to  the  higher  music.  Very 
intimate  musical,  as  well  as  personal,  relations 
existed  between  him  and  Mr.  Thomas,  for  the  latter 
had  great  respect  for  his  opinions  and  judgment 
and  when  in  doubt  was  accustomed  to  consult  with 
his  friend,  though  it  must  not  be  assumed  that  they 
did  not  have  some  pretty  strong  contests  together.  I 
recently  asked  Mr.  Ziehn  to  put  in  a  few  words  his 
estimate  of  Mr.  Thomas  as  a  conductor.  He  did 
so  and  I  give  his  statement  in  his  owrn  words.  The 
characterization  could  hardly  be  more  accurate  or 
comprehensive.  Mr.  Ziehn  says: 


243  THEODORE  THOMAS 

"Theodore  Thomas  treats  the  compositions,  whether 
classic  or  modern,  with  the  same  conscientiousness,  earnest- 
ness, and  accuracy.  There  is  no  sentimentality,  no  affecta- 
tion, no  mere  calculation,  no  animosity,  but  veracity  and  true 
cognizance.  Under  his  baton  the  works  were  safe.  He  never 
undertook  alterations  of  any  kind,  arbitrary  omissions  or  ad- 
ditions, to  show  'a  genial  conception.'  Still  his  genius  was 
continually  at  work  to  put  life  in  the  dead  scores,  and  one  re- 
ceives the  impression  —  this  interpretation  is  the  proper  one. 
I  know  of  only  one  man,  who  can  be  compared  with  Thomas 
as  conductor  —  it  is  d' Albert  as  pianist." 

Upon  another  occasion,  Mr.  Ziehn  said: 

"A  score  could  not  be  in  safer  hands  than  those  of  Mr. 
Thomas.  Such  violence  as  has  been  committed  recently  by 
famous  conductors  of  Germany  and  Austria  upon  the  scores 
of  Beethoven  and  Bruckner  could  not  have  been  committed 
here." 


XIII 

THE  MAN 

pictures  of  Mr.  Thomas  are  satisfactory 
to  those  who  were  well  acquainted  with  him. 
His  earlier  portraits  bear  little  resemblance  to  the 
later,  and  the  later  sometimes  differ  widely  from  one 
another.  His  moods  were  many,  and  his  expression 
depended  largely  upon  the  interest  of  the  occasion. 
It  is  quite  certain  that  the  photographic  process  had 
little  interest  for  him  when  he  was  the  victim  of  it. 
If  the  camera  could  have  caught  him  at  one  of  those 
Olympian  feasts  when  he  was  thoroughly  enjoying 
the  Gemuthlichkeit  of  the  occasion,  or  in  the  height  of 


REMINISCENCE  AND  APPRECIATION       243 

a  discussion,  or  when  the  triumphant  measures  of  the 
finale  of  Beethoven's  Fifth  Symphony  were  surging 
upwards  to  suit  him,  then  we  might  have  had  a 
picture  of  the  real  Theodore  Thomas.  It  is  still 
more  difficult  to  draw  a  pen  picture  of  him.  Though 
he  seemed  tall  upon  the  concert-stage  he  was  only 
of  medium  height,  but  he  carried  himself  like  one 
born  to  command.  He  stepped  to  the  conductor's 
desk  as  of  right,  his  bow  was  courtly,  his  presence 
always  dignified,  his  gestures  always  graceful,  and 
the  lines  of  his  figure  in  leading,  statuesque.  It 
all  spoke  of  authority,  self-mastery,  the  gift  of  leader- 
ship, the  certainty  of  accomplishment,  the  freedom 
of  the  "art  to  conceal  art"  —  in  other  words,  the 
respose  of  art,  which  is  the  consummation  of  the 
highest  endeavor.  Nothing  could  be  less  osten- 
tatious than  his  manner  in  the  concert-room.  He 
walked  in  an  easy  but  dignified  way  to  the  desk, 
turned  and  made  a  graceful  bow  to  his  audience, 
then  turned  to  his  players  who  were  always  in 
readiness,  simply  lifted  his  arms,  gave  the  signal  and 
the  work  began.  There  was  no  fuss,  no  disorder, 
no  desk  rappings,  no  instructions  to  his  concert- 
meister,  no  waiting  for  this  man  or  that  man  to  get 
his  instrument  ready,  no  nervousness,  no  hesitation. 
You  could  settle  down  to  your  seat  with  the  absolute 
conviction  that  everything  was  right  and  everything 
was  going  right.  Everything  he  did  was  sure,  strong, 
sane,  healthy.  It  was  never  necessary  for  his  hearers 
to  feel  anxious  about  results. 

He  was  a  man  of  sturdy  physique,  as  he  was  a 


244  THEODORE  THOMAS 

man  of  sturdy  character,  with  strong  shoulders,  a 
well-set  head,  powerful  arms,  full  chest,  resolute 
mouth  and  chin,  strongly  marked  face,  earnest  in 
repose,  intense  in  listening,  radiant  when  in  good 
humor,  and  eyes  of  shifting  hue  that  had  ways  at 
times  of  flashing,  again  of  darkening,  and  sometimes 
of  looking  through  you.  His  strength  was  extraor- 
dinary. It  was  probably  due  in  the  beginning 
to  his  perfect  health,  for  his  last  sickness  was  in 
reality  his  first  one,  and  was  still  further  developed  by 
his  long  years  of  violin  playing  and  his  still  longer 
years  of  conducting.  While  I  was  walking  with  him 
one  day  in  Chicago,  four  hoodlums  approached  us 
abreast  and  taking  up  the  whole  width  of  the  side- 
walk. To  get  by  them  it  was  apparently  necessary 
to  go  out  into  the  muddy  street,  but  Mr.  Thomas 
was  not  in  the  habit  of  making  such  concessions. 
Squaring  his  elbows  in  front  of  him  he  collided 
with  the  unsavory  quartette  directly  in  the  centre. 
Two  of  them  were  flung  against  the  building  on 
their  right  and  the  other  two  went  sprawling  into 
the  gutter.  They  were  too  much  dazed  by  the 
suddenness  of  the  onset  to  assail  him  and  mean- 
while he  went  on  as  unconcerned  as  if  he  had  only 
brushed  four  straws  out  of  his  path.  At  the  con- 
clusion of  the  second  Cincinnati  festival  some  of 
his  friends  gave  him  a  supper  "over  the  Rhine"  at 
which  many  musicians  were  present.  It  was  the 
famous  "tenth  symphony  night,"  so  called  because 
it  followed  Beethoven's  Ninth  Symphony,  which 


REMINISCENCE  AND  APPRECIATION       245 

had  been  excellently  given  earlier  in  the  evening. 
At  one  time  the  talk  turned  upon  strength  of  wrists 
and  fingers.  Andres,  the  pianist,  placed  his  hand 
flat  down  upon  the  table  and  raising  his  third  finger, 
brought  it  down  like  the  hammer  of  a  piano,  pro- 
ducing an  extraordinary  degree  of  sound.  Others 
tried  the  same  thing  but  none  equalled  Andres, 
until  Mr.  Thomas  brought  his  finger  down  with  such 
force  that  he  not  only  excelled  the  sound  Andres 
had  produced  but  made  the  glasses  on  the  table 
fairly  dance.  It  was  this  tremendous  physical  power 
that  enabled  Mr.  Thomas  to  bear  a  burden  of  labor 
for  fifty  years  that  would  have  soon  broken  down 
any  ordinary  person. 

Mr.  Thomas  was  simple  and  unpretentious  in 
his  dress  and  never  indulged  in  any  of  those  eccen- 
tricities of  garments  or  physique  or  personal  habits 
which  so  many  professional  musicians  affect  to 
produce  sensation.  When  he  first  went  to  "Felsen- 
garten,"  his  New  Hampshire  home,  a  neighboring 
farmer  who  had  been  very  anxious  to  see  him  told 
a  gentleman,  who  had  a  summer  home  near  by,  that 
he  didn't  believe  Mr.  Thomas  was  a  musician  for  he 
didn't  look  like  one,  showing  that  among  people  in 
general  the  eccentric  type  has  come  to  be  regarded 
as  the  normal  type  of  the  professional.  There  was 
nothing  in  his  make-up  to  indicate  that  he  was  a 
musician,  but  there  was  something  in  his  appearance, 
that  indefinable  distinguishing  mark  of  greatness, 
which  impressed  even  the  most  casual  passerby. 


246  THEODORE  THOMAS 

In  the  tide  of  being  that  sweeps  through  the  street 
he  would  instantly  have  been  singled  out  by  a 
stranger  as  one  in  authority,  and  who  had  achieved 
greatness  in  his  calling.  Upon  one  occasion,  while  he 
was  travelling  to  his  summer  home,  the  regular  con- 
ductor asking  for  his  ticket  addressed  him  as  '  'judge" ; 
not  long  after,  the  sleeping-car  conductor  called  him 
"professor";  a  gentleman  near  by  soon  hailed  him 
as  "general";  and  the  porter  was  profuse  in  his 
appellation  of  "boss."  Foreign  artists  who  played 
under  his  direction  always  addressed  him  as  "meister" 
or  "maestro."  The  simplicity  which  marked  his 
own  dress  and  manner  he  also  sought  to  cultivate 
among  his  players.  He  strongly  disapproved  of 
any  affectations  or  eccentricities  among  them,  and 
his  rebukes  were  so  prompt  and  sometimes  so  sharp 
that  no  orchestra  ever  exhibited  a  saner  or  more 
normal  body  of  players  than  the  Chicago. 

He  was  one  of  the  most  modest  and  unpretentious 
of  men.  He  was  elected  an  honorary  member  of 
the  Italian  Society  of  Artists  at  Milan,  which  was 
under  royal  patronage.  He  was  also  elected  a 
member  of  the  "Verein  Beethoven  Haus"  in  Bonn, 
the  object  of  this  union  being  the  preservation  of 
Beethoven's  birthplace,  the  collection  of  all  his 
works,  pictures,  busts,  and  literature  concerning 
him,  and  the  erection  of  a  memorial  to  him.  Other 
European  cities  and  societies  had  honored  him.  In 
this  country  he  received  the  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Music  from  Yale  College  in  1880,  and  from  Hamilton 
College  in  1881,  as  the  following  letters  attest: 


THEODORE   THOMAS   IN    1898 


REMINISCENCE  AND  APPRECIATION       247 

YALE  COLLEGE. 

New  Haven,  Conn.,  Sept.  27,  1880. 
THEODORE  THOMAS,  ESQ., 

Dear  Sir:  It  is  my  duty  to  inform  you  officially  of  the 
action  of  the  President  and  Fellows  of  Yale  College  at  the  recent 
commencement,  the  conferring  upon  you  the  honorary  degree 
of  Doctor  of  Music,  by  way  of  recognition  of  the  substantial 
service  which  you  have  rendered  to  musical  culture  in  the 
United  States.  The  diploma  certifying  to  this  degree  is  sent 
by  mail  herewith;  and  I  must  apologize  for  the  long  delay  in 
forwarding  it,  owing  to  my  ignorance  of  the  fact  that  you  had 
returned  from  Europe. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  very  respectfully,  your  most  obedient 
servant, 

FRANKLIN  B.  DEXTER, 

Secretary. 

HAMILTON  COLLEGE. 

Clinton,  Oneida  Co.,  N.  Y.,  June  30,  1881. 
THEODORE  THOMAS,  ESQ., 

Dear  Sir:  I  have  the  honor  to  announce  that  the  Board 
of  Trustees  of  Hamilton  College  have  this  day  conferred  upon 
you  the  honorary  degree  of  Doctor  of  Music.  May  I  express 
the  hope  that  this  recognition  of  eminent  services  in  the  cause 
of  music  may  be  agreeable  to  yourself  and  your  friends?  If 
it  should  tend,  even  in  the  remotest  degree,  to  bring  that  noble 
art  into  closer  connection  with  the  college,  and  into  still  higher 
esteem,  it  would  bring  to  us  also  another  degree  of  satisfaction. 
I  have  the  honor  to  remain,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient 
servant, 

S.  G.  BROWN, 

Preset  oj  Hamilton  College. 

While  Mr.  Thomas  was  greatly  pleased,  especially 
with  the  American  honors,  because  they  signified  ap- 
preciation of  the  work  he  had  done  for  music  in  his 


248  THEODORE  THOMAS 

own  country,  he  never  used  the  degrees  In  any  way. 
It  would  have  been  an  exhibition  of  personal  vanity 
of  which  he  was  utterly  incapable.  He  preferred 
to  be  plain  Theodore  Thomas,  and  as  such  he 
remained  to  the  end  of  his  life. 

He  was  not  a  demonstrative  man  and  his  brusque- 
ness  and  impatience  of  manner  sometimes  repelled 
people;  but  once  a  friend,  he  was  always  a  friend. 
There  was  one  associate,  William  Mason,  the  pianist, 
whom  he  always  called  ''William"  whenever  he 
spoke  of  him  to  me.  I  never  knew  another  similarly 
favored.  After  more  than  thirty  years  of  friendship 
with  me  he  one  day  suggested  that  it  was  unnecessary 
to  use  the  prefix  "Mr."  in  addressing  each  other. 
"We  know  each  other  well  enough  to  drop  these 
stupid  formalities,"  said  he  with  a  smile.  Probably, 
as  Mr.  Mason  once  said  of  him,  it  was  not  that  he 
meant  to  be  short  with  people  but  he  simply  felt  that 
he  did  not  have  time  to  be  anything  else.  The 
consciousness  of  his  work  was  always  with  him. 
Naturally,  like  many  forceful  men,  he  had  a  violent 
temper,  but  he  kept  it  well  under  control.  He 
would  exhibit  it  only  under  great  provocation  as 
when  he  was  misrepresented,  or  his  orders  were 
disobeyed,  or  outsiders  interfered  with  his  business, 
or  singers  and  players  aired  their  ignorance  or  dis- 
played their  vanity  before  him.  He  never  recognized 
or  permitted  a  man  to  speak  to  him  who  deliberately 
misrepresented  him. 

Two  little  incidents  illustrate  his  impulsiveness. 
In  a  rehearsal  at  one  of  the  Cincinnati  festivals  a 


REMINISCENCE  AND  APPRECIATION       249 

tenor,  who  was  not  a  professional,  but  an  amateur 
who  had  an  exaggerated  opinion  of  the  character  of 
his  singing  and  of  his  musical  knowledge,  and  was 
by  no  means  backward  in  airing  it,  offended  Mr. 
Thomas  several  times  not  alone  by  his  airs  but  also 
by  his  gross  mistakes.  When  the  rehearsal  was  fin- 
ished he  accosted  the  singer:  "Are  you  a  profes- 
sional singer?"  "No,  sir."  "What  do  you  for  a 
living?"  "I  am  a  mechanic."  "Well,  you  had 
better  go  home  to  your  trade.  What  are  you  doing 
here  ?  The  shoemaker  should  stick  to  his  last." 

Upon  another  occasion  a  prominent  soprano 
was  rehearsing  with  him  for  an  important  concert. 
She  sang  her  aria  through  and  Mr.  Thomas  did  not 
interrupt  her,  but  at  the  close  he  asked,  '  'Is  that  the 
way  you  have  always  sung  this  aria?" 

"Oh,  yes,"  she  somewhat  loftily  replied,  "it  is 
the  way  we  artists  always  sing  it." 

Mr.  Thomas  asked  her  to  repeat  the  aria  and 
she  did  so,  singing  it  exactly  as  before.  "Do  you 
think  you  sang  the  aria  right  ?"  he  asked. 

*  'Oh,  yes,  I  know  I  have,  I  always  have  sung  it 
that  way." 

'  'Then  you  had  better  take  your  music  home  and 
study  it.  Come  again  to-morrow  morning  and  we 
will  try  it  again." 

The  lady  returned  the  next  morning  in  a  less 
confident  state  of  mind  and  asked  Mr.  Thomas  if 
he  would  not  show  her  how  the  aria  should  be  sung. 
"Certainly,"  said  he.  Patiently  he  explained  to  her 
just  how  she  should  sing  it,  both  for  phrasing  and 


250  THEODORE  THOMAS 

for  expression,  and  when  at  last  she  sang  it  properly 
he  cordially  shook  her  hand.  She  told  me  some 
years  afterwards  that  she  never  had  a  better  friend 
than  Theodore  Thomas  and  that  she  owed  her 
concert  success  to  him.  There  are  other  singers 
who  have  had  similar  experiences. 

Mr.  Thomas  was  not  a  fluent  conversationalist 
except  when  he  was  interested  in  the  subject  dis- 
cussed, and  then  his  crisp,  epigrammatic,  emphatic 
manner  was  delightful,  for  it  was  always  accom- 
panied, especially  upon  purely  social  or  convivial 
occasions,  by  his  strong  sense  of  humor  and  his 
pleasure  in  the  good  stories  of  others.  He  was  not 
at  home  in  public  speaking.  Once  in  Cincinnati, 
at  a  banquet  given  to  him  he  was  called  upon  to 
reply  to  a  toast  to  his  health.  It  is  said  that  he  arose, 
tried  to  speak,  murmured  a  few  words  and  sat  down, 
like  Thackeray  at  the  Boston  banquet,  whereupon 
Michael  Brandt,  the  'cellist,  rose  and  said  that 
Mr.  Thomas  ought  not  to  be  expected  to  make  a' 
speech, — "He  is  a  'Lieder  ohne  Worte.' '  But  his 
pithy  epigrammatic  style  of  talking  and  writing,  and 
his  ability  to  express  his  meaning  precisely  and  say 
much  in  the  fewest  possible  words,  are  shown  in 
such  examples  as  these: 

"How  great  a  gift  God  gave  to  the  world  when 
music  was  breathed  into  creation!" 

"Music  has  the  strongest  influence  of  any  art  if 
properly  controlled,  because  of  its  powerful  appeal 
to  the  emotions.  It  can  also  do  great  harm  where 
there  is  no  character." 


REMINISCENCE   AND   APPRECIATION       251 

'  'Music,  in  its  psychologic  aspects,  is  little  under- 
stood as  yet,  but  we  are  gaining  in  our  knowledge. 
Some  feel  only  the  emotional  influence,  others  realize 
that  a  powerful  character-building  force  has  by  its 
uplifting  influences  put  them  on  a  higher  plane." 

"I  have  always  worked  hard  and  always  work 
ahead,  and  know  little  about  the  past." 

"To  play  correctly,  that  is  something.  But  to 
find  the  soul  in  music  and  play  it  —  that  is  every- 
thing." 

"In  art  the  first  rule  is  system  and  form." 

"In  art  you  cannot  count  your  time." 

"We  don't  work  for  the  penny." 

"The  world  is  moving  in  music;  we  must  keep 
pace  with  the  change." 

"By  permanent  work  alone  can  we  accomplish 
our  purpose." 

"For  artistic  work  the  surroundings  must  be 
artistic." 

"I  agree  with  the  present  time  and  prefer  truth 
to  European  (culture)  hypocrisy;  but  I  also  admire 
to  some  extent  good  manners,  and  confess  that  I  am 
in  my  inner  self  enough  a  German  that  it  makes  me 
feel  better  if  I  can  treat  some  one  or  some  thing 
with  respect." 

'  'Everything  revenges  itself  on  this  earth.  Wagner 
fights  just  as  much  to-day  as  when  alive  —  perhaps 
when  he  wants  peace;  and  Berlioz,  with  whom  we 
have  thought  we  were  through,  had  his  centennial 
fall  at  a  time  to  force  the  world  to  make  up  for  lost 
time  at  the  other  end." 


252  THEODORE  THOMAS 

'  'I  shall  soon  be  ready  to  spend  most  of  my  time 
in  Chicago.  It  is  the  old  story  —  what  New  York 
offers,  I  refuse;  what  I  demand,  she  refuses." 

"I  have  suffered  much  these  weeks  playing 
before  the  iron  curtain1  and  placed  as  we  are,  besides 
being  sick  with  a  cold.  I  began  to  think  that  there 
was  a  vacancy  in  the  angel  choir,  and  that  I  was 
preparing  to  fill  it.  Well,  I  hope  I  shall  be  able  to 
help  the  new  scheme  along  until  it  is  safely  launched. 
That  will  be  enough."2 

He  was  very  fond  of  social  gatherings  in  his 
home  and  of  little  dinners,  with  a  few  chosen  friends, 
and  at  such  times  he  was  always  '  'the  bright,  partic- 
ular star."  Like  Dickens  he  was  continually  dis- 
covering a  place  where  the  chop  was  done  to  a  turn, 
and  like  Thackeray  he  could  take  you  to  the  restau- 
rant where  the  wine  was  something  rare,  and  bouilla- 
baisse was  excellent.  How  well  I  remember  one 
invitation,  "Come  and  have  a  good  time  and  drink 
to  the  gods  as  the  Greeks  did,  who  loved  only  the 
good  and  the  true,"  and  his  radiant  humor  and 
genial  comradeship  that  night.  And  all  save  one  who 
were  at  the  board — '  'all,  all  are  gone,  the  old  familiar 
faces!"  This  side  of  his  nature  was  for  his  friends, 
as  well  as  a  certain  healthy  German  poetic  sentiment 
which  rounded  out  his  character  so  finely. 

While  music  was  the  work  of  his  life,  and  he 

1  This  was  written  shortly  after  the  Iroquois  Theatre  fire 
in  Chicago,  when  the  fire  ordinances  were  rigidly  enforced. 

2  Referring   to   the  permanent   orchestra   and   the   new 
Orchestra  Hall  in  Chicago. 


REMINISCENCE  AND  APPRECIATION       253 

devoted  himself  to  it  almost  continuously  for  half  a 
century,  yet  he  found  time  for  general  culture.  In 
literature,  as  in  music,  only  the  highest  appealed  to 
him.  This  is  all  the  more  peculiar  because  he  had 
no  literary  traditions  or  inheritance.  His  studies 
were  in  history  and  philosophy,  and  Shakespeare, 
Goethe,  and  Schiller  were  his  literary  favorites. 
At  one  time,  when  everything  looked  darkest  and  he 
saw  no  way  of  escape  from  financial  ruin,  he  took 
down  his  Shakespeare  and  read  far  into  the  night. 
The  next  morning  he  awoke  with  renewed  hope  and 
devoted  himself  to  his  work  with  fresh  courage.  His 
sense  of  humor  was  also  a  saving  grace  to  him.  A 
dinner  was  once  given  him  in  Toledo  at  which  a 
gentleman  persisted  in  introducing  his  son,  an 
infant  phenomenon,  who  could  play  two  cornets  at 
once.  After  the  youth  had  performed  his  feat, 
Mr.  Thomas  was  asked  by  the  proud  parent  what 
he  thought  of  it.  '  'Better  learn  to  play  on  one  before 
he  takes  two,"  was  all  he  replied.  In  making  out 
his  list  of  players  for  the  permanent  Chicago  Orches- 
tra the  ranks  were  filled  with  the  exception  of  one 
'cello  player.  In  order  that  the  vacancy  should 
not  appear  on  a  programme  list,  he  inserted  the 
name  "Fr.  Stelle."  For  a  long  time  his  players 
wondered  who  "Franz"  or  "Friedrich"  Stelle  might 
be,  and  why  he  did  not  appear,  and  what  kind  of  a 
player  he  would  be  when  he  did  appear.  At  last  the 
secret  leaked  out, — "Fr.  Stelle"  was  simply  "Freie 
Stelle" — or  "open  place." 

German  born,  associated  with  German  musicians 


254  THEODORE  THOMAS 

all  through  his  life,  meeting  them  daily,  and  living  as 
it  were  in  a  German  atmosphere,  yet  he  was  the 
strongest  of  Americans  in  sentiment,  disposition, 
feeling,  and  patriotism.  Many  a  time  have  I  heard 
him  resent  foreign  slurs  upon  American  institutions 
and  defend  the  national  government's  policy  against 
its  critics.  His  love  for  the  United  States,  where 
he  had  lived  from  boyhood,  and  his  respect  and 
admiration  for  the  broad-minded  views  of  its  people 
as  well  as  their  public  spirit,  was  deep,  sincere,  and 
hearty. 

Notwithstanding  his  sternness  of  demeanor,  he 
was  in  reality  the  kindest  hearted  of  men.  He  had 
great  sympathy  with  suffering  humanity  and  animals. 
In  her  pleasant  little  book, '  'Our  Mountain  Garden," 
Mrs.  Thomas  tells  of  his  love  for  animals.  After 
much  labor  he  had  made  a  pond  near  the  house, 
which  he  jocularly  used  to  call  his  "ocean."  A 
friend,  visiting  him,  suggested  that  he  might  stock 
it  with  trout  and  thus  supply  his  table.  His  reply 
was,  '  'What !  First  feed  a  creature  and  then  eat  it  ? 
I  do  not  like  that  idea.  I  wish  we  could  get  on 
without  this  everlasting  killing  and  eating  of  meat, 
but,  since  that  is  not  practicable,  let  us  at  least  not 
devour  our  friends."  Let  me  tell  another  incident 
in  Mrs.  Thomas's  own  words: 

"My  private  opinion  is  that  it  would  take  a  champion 
squirrel  to  handle  any  of  the  Felsengarten  birds,  for  they  are 
past  masters  of  the  noble  art  of  self-defence,  and  keep  their 
claws  and  beaks  in  good  practice  by  fighting  each  other  all 
day  long.  One  day  the  Meister  looked  out  of  the  window 


REMINISCENCE  AND  APPRECIATION       255 

and  beheld  two  of  them  lying  prone  upon  the  grass,  clutching 
each  other  so  fiercely  by  the  throat  that  they  paid  no  heed  to 
his  pounding  on  the  window,  nor  yet  when  he  went  out  and 
shouted  to  them  from  the  piazza;  and  it  was  not  until  he  had 
descended  to  the  ground,  and  almost  reached  them,  as  they 
lay  struggling  in  the  grass,  that  the  combatants  finally  let  go 
their  savage  clinch  and  flew  off.  This  exhibition  of  ferocity  on 
the  part  of  creatures  he  had  hitherto  supposed  to  be  the  gentlest 
and  most  delicate  examples  of  animated  nature,  was,  I  regret 
to  say,  such  a  shock  to  all  his  preconceived  ideas,  that  it 
seriously  cooled  his  ardor  towards  our  birds  and  caused  him 
to  regard  them  as  ruffians  and  swash-bucklers." 

A  few  weeks  before  he  died  he  entertained  two 
other  gentlemen  and  myself  at  lunch.  The  immedi- 
ate object  was  to  settle  some  business  matters.  These 
were  quickly  finished,  and  then  a  social  afternoon 
was  spent.  During  the  pleasant  talk — and  he  never 
was  a  more  gracious  host  than  on  that  occasion,  for 
he  was  feeling  very  happy  because  he  was  so  soon 
to  go  into  the  new  Orchestra  Hall — the  conversation 
turned  upon  Port  Arthur  and  General  Stoessel, 
who  was  upon  the  eve  of  surrendering  the  fortress  to 
the  Japanese.  One  of  the  gentlemen  spoke  of 
Stoessel  as  a  hero,  because  he  had  held  out  so  long 
and  made  such  a  stout  defence.  Clenching  his  fist, 
a  habit  he  always  had  when  he  wished  to  emphasize 
his  remarks,  Mr.  Thomas  replied:  "Hero!  not  at 
all  a  hero.  He  is  a  brute.  A  general  who  knows 
that  his  case  is  hopeless,  that  there  is  no  possible 
relief,  and  that  he  must  surrender,  and  yet  continues 
to  sacrifice  thousands  of  men,  nine-tenths  of  whom 
do  not  know  what  it  is  they  are  fighting  for,  to 


256  THEODORE  THOMAS 

starvavation,  to  sickness,  and  to  death  from  shot  and 
shell,  is  to  me  a  brute.  When  Stoessel  surrenders 
he  will  march  out  of  Port  Arthur  with  all  the  honors 
of  war  and  will  be  lionized  as  a  hero.  But  what  of 
the  dead  and  wounded,  the  lifelong  cripples  and 
invalids,  so  uselessly  made  victims  of  his  so-called 
bravery?"  He  was  evidently  not  an  enthusiastic 
lover  of  the  military,  for  on  that  same  afternoon, 
he  took  a  cutting  from  the  morning  paper  out  of  his 
pocket  and  read  that  the  civil  courts  in  Germany 
had  justified  an  officer  who  had  killed  a  private 
soldier  for  some  petty  reason.  "More  brutes,"  said 
he; '  'it  almost  makes  me  sorry  that  I  am  a  German." 
Like  his  favorite  composer,  Beethoven,  Mr. 
Thomas  was  ardently  fond  of  nature,  and  he  looked 
forward  to  his  long  summer  vacations  at  "Felsen- 
garten"  with  all  the  eagerness  of  a  child.  As  the 
time  drew  near  for  the  annual  journey  he  could 
hardly  wait  for  the  conclusion  of  the  final  concert. 
In  an  interview  he  once  said: 

"How  do  I  get  my  inspiration?  Why,  up  in  the  White 
Mountains  of  New  Hampshire  I  have  a  cottage  hidden  away 
from  the  world.  A  cunning  little  bypath  runs  through  the 
woods,  and  without  a  guide  you  cannot  find  your  way  in. 
And  when  you  are  in,  you  do  not  want  to  find  your  way  out. 
I  go  in  the  morning  and  at  night  and  talk  to  my  trees,  and  my 
mountains  that  I  love.  And  I  catch  a  little  bit — just  a  little 
bit — of  what  they  answer  me. 

"  What  is  it  they  say  ?  Ah,  that  is  it.  It  is  nothing,  and 
yet  everything.  Nature  is  all  music,  and  whatever  she  whis- 
pers to  us  is  the  heart  of  melody  and  the  soul  of  rhythm.  Some 
of  us  are  lucky  enough  to  catch  a  few  of  her  disjointed  words, 


REMINISCENCE  AND  APPRECIATION       257 

and  are  allowed  to  tell  them  to  our  brothers.    That  is  called 
inspiration." 

Mrs.  Thomas,  in  the  work  already  mentioned, 
gives  us  an  entertaining  picture  of  his  indefatigable 
industry  in  redeeming  the  wild  tract  of  rocky  land 
and  making  it  a  pleasant  summer  retreat.  She  her- 
self took  charge  of  the  building  of  the  cottage  and 
the  making  of  the  garden,  while  he  devoted  himself 
to  the  grounds,  laying  out  avenues  and  making 
wood  paths,  turning  a  marsh  into  a  pond,  cutting 
away  unsightly  growths,  felling  useless  trees,  cutting, 
pruning,  and  digging  like  a  common  laborer. 

"Before  leaving  Felsengarten  in  the  fall,"  says  Mrs. 
Thomas,  "he  would  select  the  locality  he  meant  to  improve 
the  following  summer,  and  wander  over  every  inch  of  it  until 
he  was  familiar  with  all  its  features ;  and  its  trees  and  boulders, 
humps  and  hollows,  and  general  topography  were  'photo- 
graphically lined  on  the  tablet  of  his  mind.'  During  the 
winter  he  would  plan  his  improvements,  and  the  following 
spring  he  was  ready  to  put  them  into  execution.  First  he 
would  clear  the  section  of  rubbish,  ragged  growths,  inferior 
trees,  dead  branches,  and  other  unsightly  objects.  Then  he 
would  stake  out  the  path  or  avenue  to  be  constructed,  and, 
beginning  at  one  end,  he  and  his  young  assistant  would  work 
at  it  quietly,  day  by  day,  and  as  the  work  progressed  the 
embellishment  of  the  adjacent  land  naturally  suggested  itself." 

He  spoke  of  this  "recreation"  once  in  a  quietly 
humorous  way.  It  was  evidently  before  he  had 
become  well  acquainted  with  the  possibilities  of 
stones  "in  the  old  Granite  State."  "I  don't  seem 
to  make  any  impression  upon  the  stones  of  New 
Hampshire.  For  years  I  have  spent  my  summer 


258  THEODORE  THOMAS 

days  with  a  pick  in  one  hand  and  a  crowbar  in  the 
other.  I  have  been  attempting  to  clear  a  small 
place  of  all  the  stones  and  have  found  it  impossible. 
Somehow,  when  I  go  there  at  the  beginning  of  the 
summer,  it  always  seems  to  me  that  there  are  more 
stones  upon  that  patch  of  ground  than  when  I 
left." 

Those  were  happy  days  in  Felsengarten  "under 
his  own  vine  and  fig-tree" — days  of  quiet  enjoyment 
of  nature,  of  healthy  outdoor  work  which  was  a 
grateful  remedy  for  overstrained  nerves,  and  a  rest 
after  the  hard  round  of  a  season's  rehearsals  and 
concerts.  At  Felsengarten  also  he  met  his  children, 
who,  having  homes  of  their  own,  were  separated  from 
him  at  other  seasons  of  the  year,  and  with  his  boys 
he  was  like  an  elder  brother.  It  was  his  delight 
after  the  day's  work  to  sit  upon  his  piazza  and  watch 
the  mountain  horizon  line  in  the  afterglow  of  sun- 
set, so  strangely  contrasting  with  the  darkness 
settling  down  on  the  slopes  below.  In  his  last 
moments  he  saw  this  picture  again  and  said  to  his 
companion  who  had  labored  with  him  and  helped 
to  transform  those  waste  lands  into  a  mountain 
garden,  "I  have  seen  a  beautiful  vision."  And 
then  he  smiled  and  his  voice  was  hushed  forever- 
more.  And  soon  the  sun  set  and  '  'all  the  land  was 
dark."  He  had  passed  to  the  heights  where  great 
souls  rest.  "Ueber  alien  Gipfeln  ist  Ruh." 

Thus  passed  from  our  midst  the  great  musician 
who  had  wrought  so  long,  so  devotedly,  so  courage- 
ously for  the  things  that  make  for  the  refinement  of 


REMINISCENCE  AND   APPRECIATION       259 

life  and  for  the  ennobling  of  the  spirit,  never  once 
degrading  the  great  gift  which  had  been  given  him, 
never  yielding  to  a  sordid  consideration,  nor  com- 
promising his  art  with  commercialism.  His  We  is 
an  example  for  American  youth  of  a  great  purpose 
nobly  striven  for,  nobly  won,  of  work  for  civic  and 
individual  righteousness,  of  patience  in  well-doing, 
of  honors  modestly  received,  of  success  richly  earned. 
He  has  affected  the  lives  of  thousands  of  men  and 
women  for  good,  by  diverting  their  tastes  from  the 
trivial  and  meretricious  to  nobler  and  purer  things, 
for  great  music  is  a  moral  influence  whose  extent 
can  hardly  be  measured.  Life  and  music  may  be 
more  intimately  related  than  we  know.  Music  helps 
to  keep  body  and  soul  in  health,  and  no  man's  edu- 
cation can  be  called  complete  without  it.  As  Wilhelm 
Hoffman  says  in  " Scrap ionsbriider" :  "No  art,  I 
believe,  offers  so  much  evidence  of  the  spiritual 
in  man  as  music,  and  there  is  no  art  that  requires 
so  exclusively  means  that  are  purely  intellectual  and 
ethereal."  Measured  by  every  standard,  viewed 
from  every  standpoint,  tested  by  every  canon  of 
music  and  of  morals,  Theodore  Thomas's  career 
tended  to  the  elevation  of  popular  taste  and  the  uplift- 
ing of  the  national  life.  His  work  was  a  public  bene- 
faction. His  life  is  a  noble  example.  His  memory 
will  be  cherished  by  his  contemporaries,  and  history 
will  record  his  name  as  that  of  the  pioneer  of  the 
higher  music  in  America. 


CHRONOLOGY 

THEODORE  THOMAS'S  LIFE  WORK 

1835        Born  at  Esens. 

1843        Began  playing  the  violin. 

1845        Family  came  to  America. 

1845-47  Played  in  concerts. 

1847-52  Played  in  theatres  and  at  opera,  and  travelled  in 

the  South. 
1852        Soloist  at  a  Dodworth  Band  concert. 

1854  Elected  a  member  of  the  New  York  Philharmonic 

Society. 

1855  Mason-Thomas  chamber  concerts  began. 

1856  Leader  of  concert  orchestra  in  sacred  concerts. 
1857-58  Travelled  with  Thalberg,   Formes,   and    other 

artists. 
1858        Conductor  of  Ullmann  opera  season. 

1860  Concerts  with  Carl  Wolfsohn  in  Philadelphia. 

1861  Operatic  conductor  in  New  York. 

1862  Classical  soirees  in  Orange,  N.  J.    First  concert 

with  his  own  orchestra  at  Irving  Hall,  New 
York. 

1862  Alternate   conductor  with  Th.  Eisfeld,  of  the 

Brooklyn  Philharmonic  Society. 

1863  Matinee  concerts  at  Irving  Hall. 

1864  Begins  symphony  soirees. 

1865  Musical  director  of  the  New  York  Institute  for 

the  Blind. 

1866  Elected   conductor   of   Brooklyn   Philharmonic 

Society.    Garden  concerts  at  Terrace  Garden. 
260 


CHRONOLOGY  261 

1867  European  visit.   Founded  the  Thomas  Orchestra. 

1868  Elected  conductor  Mendelssohn  Union.     Began 

Central  Park  Garden  concerts. 

1869  Symphony  concerts  closed.    First  concert  tour. 

1870  First  Wagner  concert. 

1872-78  Symphony  concerts  resumed  in  Steinway  Hall. 

1872  Musical  festival  in  New  York. 

1873  Cincinnati  festival  inaugurated. 

1876  Philadelphia  Centennial  concerts. 

1877  Conductor  of  the  New  York  Philharmonic  Society. 

1878  Director  of  Cincinnati  College  of  Music. 

1879  Returned    to    New   York.    Conductor   of    the 

Philharmonic  Society. 

1880  Organized  New  York  chorus. 

1882  Festivals  in  New  York  and  Chicago. 

1883  Tour  to  Pacific  coast. 

1884  Wagner  festival  concerts. 

1885  Director  of  American  Opera  Company. 

1891        Removed    to    Chicago    and    founded    Chicago 

Orchestra. 
1893        Director  of  the  World's  Fair  Music  Bureau. 

1904  Dedicated  Orchestra  Hall,  Chicago. 

1905  Died  January  4. 


APPENDIX 


APPENDIX 

MUSICAL  POSSIBILITIES  IN  AMERICA 

[A  paper  written  by  Theodore  Thomas  for   "Scribner's 
Magazine,"  March,  1881,  at  the  special  request  of  its  editor.] 

A  I  VHE  Americans  are  certainly  a  music-loving  people. 
•*•  They  are  peculiarly  susceptible  to  the  sensuous 
charm  of  tone,  they  are  enthusiastic  and  learn  easily,  and 
with  the  growth  in  general  culture  of  recent  years,  there  has 
sprung  up  a  desire  for  something  serious  in  its  purpose  in 
music,  as  in  the  other  arts.  The  voices  of  the  women 
although  inclined  to  be  sharp  and  nasal  in  speaking,  are 
good  in  singing.  Their  small  volume  reveals  the  lack  of 
proper  training,  but  they  are  good  in  quality,  extended  in 
compass,  and  brilliant  in  color.  The  larger  number  are 
sopranos,  but  there  are  many  altos,  and  there  would  be 
more  and  they  would  be  better  were  it  not  for  ruinous 
attempts  to  make  sopranos  of  them.  The  men's  voices 
do  not  compare  favorably  with  those  of  the  women.  They 
lack  strength  and  character,  and  a  well-balanced  chorus  is 
hardly  possible  as  yet  without  a  mixture  of  English  or 
German  voices  to  give  body  to  the  tone.  Of  late  years, 
probably  because  of  the  growing  attention  to  physical 
training,  there  has  been  a  marked  improvement,  and  many 
good  and  beautiful  voices  have  been  developed,  chiefly 
barytones  or  high  basses.  The  incessant  pressure  of  work 
which  every  American  feels,  prevents  the  men  from  pay- 
ing much  attention  to  music,  but  as  the  country  advances 
in  age  and  begins  to  acquire  some  of  the  repose  which  age 

265 


266  THEODORE  THOMAS 

brings,  there  will  come  possibilities  of  development  which 
cannot  now  be  estimated. 

In  considering,  therefore,  the  present  condition  of  musi- 
cal development  in  this  country,  I  am  led  naturally  to  speak 
first  of  vocal  music.  Although  the  contrary  has  been 
asserted,  I  think  it  is  in  the  vocal  direction,  and  not  in  the 
instrumental,  that  the  present  development  of  the  art 
tends.  We  have  no  public  instrumental  performers  of 
American  birth  who  can  rank  with  our  singers  in  public 
estimation,  nor  is  there  at  present  more  than  a  very  limited 
demand  for  instrumentalists.  New  York  is  the  only  city 
in  the  country  in  which  an  orchestral  player  can  make  a 
living,  and  even  here  he  must  give  lessons  or  play  at  balls 
and  parties,  thereby  losing  or  injuring  the  finer  qualities 
of  an  orchestral  player.  Boston,  in  spite  of  many  efforts, 
cannot  support  a  large,  well-balanced  orchestra.  Phila- 
delphia has  no  standing  orchestra,  and  in  Cincinnati  and 
Chicago  the  orchestral  musician  must  eke  out  a  living  by 
playing  in  beer-gardens  and  saloons.  The  only  demand 
for  piano  players,  except  of  the  highest  order,  is  as  teachers, 
and  of  those  we  have  many  and  good  ones,  who  do  what 
may  be  called  missionary  work.  Singing,  on  the  other 
hand,  appeals  to  almost  every  one,  and  there  is  a  certain 
demand,  even  if  limited,  for  singers  in  the  churches. 

When  we  consider  that  music  is  taught  in  the  public 
schools  throughout  the  country,  we  might  expect  some 
evidence  or  result  of  this  teaching  among  the  people. 
Much  money  is  spent  in  our  schools  for  instruction  in  this 
branch,  and  what  does  it  amount  to  ?  Many  of  the  chil- 
dren learn  like  parrots,  and  soon  forget  the  little  which 
they  have  learned.  Those  who  retain  this  knowledge 
find  it  a  drawback  when  wishing  to  go  on  in  the  study  of 
music.  The  fault  is  not  in  them,  but  in  the  system  taught. 


APPENDIX  267 

So  faulty  is  that  system  that  it  would  be  better  to  abolish 
singing  entirely  from  the  schools  than  to  retain  it  under  the 
present  method.  It  does  more  harm  than  good.  I  con- 
sider the  system  at  present  followed  in  this  elementary 
instruction,  called  the  "movable  do  system,"  fundamentally 
wrong,  and  experience  has  confirmed  me  in  this  opinion. 
It  is  a  make-shift,  invented  by  amateurs.  Pupils  should 
learn  something  about  absolute  pitch  of  tones,  instead  of 
merely  their  relative  pitch.  The  "movable  do  system" 
shuts  the  door  against  this  knowledge.  The  first  tone  of 
the  scale  in  every  key  is  do,  and  that  term  do  never  suggests 
to  one  who  has  thus  studied  music  any  fixed,  absolute  con- 
ception of  pitch;  for  example,  do  is  sometimes  C  and  some- 
times D,  while  to  the  musician  C  and  D  are  as  distinct 
sounds  as  the  vowels  a  and  e.  The  system  will  enable  a 
pupil  to  sing  a  simple  hymn  tune  which  has  no  accidental 
sharps  or  flats,  but  it  is  wrong  thus  to  limit  pupils  to  so 
restricted  a  capacity.  In  my  experience,  those  who  have 
learned  to  read  music  according  to  this  method  never 
free  themselves  altogether  from  it.  It  should  be  con- 
sidered as  necessary  to  be  thorough  in  the  study  of  music 
as  in  that  of  mathematics.  I  do  not  say  that  it  should  be 
carried  to  the  same  extent,  but  that,  so  far  as  it  is  carried, 
it  should  be  taught  understandingly  and  well  —  taught 
so  as  to  pave  the  way  for  future  study,  when  desirable,  and 
not  so  as  to  block  it  up.  I  attach  a  great  deal  of  import- 
ance to  this  matter  of  correct  musical  instruction.  If  we 
start  right  in  the  schools,  the  public  taste  will  soon  advance 
to  a  higher  standard.  It  is  from  the  young  that  the  church 
choirs  and  singing  societies  must  be  recruited,  and  if  a 
correct  foundation  is  laid  when  the  rudiments  are  learned, 
the  progress  to  a  more  advanced  position  is  natural  and 
easy. 


263  THEODORE  THOMAS 

While  singing  under  proper  direction  is  a  healthy 
exercise,  great  injury  can  be  done  to  the  throat  and  vocal 
organs  by  allowing  the  children  to  sing,  or  rather  scream, 
at  the  top  of  their  voices.  Most  of  the  school  singing 
which  I  have  heard  in  this  country  is  screaming,  not  sing- 
ing, while  in  England  and  Germany  I  heard  nothing  of 
the  kind.  On  the  principle  that  no  person  can  teach 
another  what  he  cannot  do  himself  (a  principle  which  I 
believe  in  to  a  great  extent),  I  hold  to  the  opinion  that  the 
teachers  of  singing  should  themselves  be  singers,  with  a 
good  method.  Singing  ought  also  to  be  taught  without 
the  aid  of  an  instrument,  unless  it  be  occasionally  to  sup- 
port the  pitch. 

At  present,  the  musical  standard  of  the  American 
public,  taken  as  a  whole,  must  be  pronounced  a  low  one. 
If  we  should  judge  of  what  has  been  done  in  music  by  the 
programmes  of  concerts  given  in  the  larger  cities,  we 
might  rightly  claim  for  this  country  a  high  rank  in  culti- 
vation. Those  concerts,  however,  appeal  not  to  the  gen- 
eral public,  but  to  one  class  only,  and  that  a  limited  one, 
as  any  one  who  observes  the  audiences  can  easily  see. 
This  class  is  growing  in  numbers  as  well  as  in  cultivation, 
but  it  is  still  far  too  small  to  support  more  than  a  limited 
number  of  concerts,  as  at  present  those  of  the  New  York 
and  Brooklyn  Philharmonic  societies.  The  general  public 
does  not  advance  in  music,  partly  from  want  of  opportu- 
nity, partly  from  the  habits  of  the  people.  The  average 
American  is  so  entirely  absorbed  in  his  work  that  when  he 
goes  out  in  the  evening  he  looks  for  relaxation  in  some 
kind  of  amusement  which  makes  little  or  no  demand 
upon  his  intellect,  and  he  has  no  difficulty  in  finding  it. 

As  regards  general  musical  culture,  the  public  may  be 
divided  into  two  classes  —  those  who  go  to  the  theatres, 


APPENDIX  269 

and  those  for  whom  the  church  is  the  social  centre.  In 
both  church  and  theatre,  the  standard  of  music  is  a  low 
one.  In  the  church,  where  first  of  all  sincerity  should 
prevail,  and  where  nothing  but  healthy  food  should  be 
given,  the  music  is  looked  upon  as  an  attraction  and  given 
as  an  amusement.  It  is  largely  operatic,  it  appeals  to  the 
senses  only,  and  is  too  often  of  the  sickly  sentimental  order. 
In  those  churches  only  which  have  congregational  singing 
is  the  sense  of  what  is  suitable  and  decorous  not  offended. 
In  this  criticism  I  do  not  include  some  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  churches.  The  priest  estimates  at  its  full  value 
the  power  of  music  over  the  masses,  and  cooperates  with 
the  organist  to  produce  a  good  musical  service.  Why 
cannot  this  be  done  in  the  Protestant  churches  ?  Pleasing 
music  need  not  be  trifling  or  sentimental;  there  are  many 
beautiful  works,  not  suited  for  the  concert-room,  which 
are  intended  for  devotional  use.  But  the  greater  part  of 
the  church  music  is  a  sort  of  patchwork  —  a  little  piece 
from  this  composer  and  another  piece  from  that,  put  to- 
gether by  an  amateur.  A  higher  aim  ought  to  be  set,  if 
not  in  the  first  place  because  of  the  art  itself  (though  why 
this  is  not  a  praiseworthy  purpose  I  do  not  see),  at  least 
for  the  sake  of  truth  and  propriety.  The  most  exalted 
and  artistic  church  service  is  the  most  proper  one.  The 
music  that  will  inspire  those  feelings  which  ought  to  fill 
the  soul  of  every  worshipper  is  noble,  good  music  —  not 
sentimental,  not  secular,  but  lofty  and  devotional.  That 
this  low  standard  of  church  music  exists  is  not  owing  to 
the  want  of  competent  organists,  for  we  have  many  of 
ability,  but  rather  to  the  fact  that  they  are  hampered  in 
their  attempts  to  introduce  better  music  by  the  solo  singers, 
as  well  as  by  the  want  of  interest  on  the  part  of  the  minister, 
and,  in  many  cases,  by  the  desire  of  the  business  committee 


270  THEODORE  THOMAS 

to  "draw"  and  please  the  congregation.  Recent  years 
have  also  given  us  composers  of  undoubted  merit. 

It  can  hardly  be  expected  that  the  managers  of  our 
theatres  will  carry  on  their  business  solely  on  art  principles, 
nor  can  they  afford  to  make  the  theatre  an  educational 
institution;  but  they  ought  to  try  to  have  the  music  in 
keeping  with  the  general  character  of  their  houses,  and, 
as  far  as  possible,  appropriate  to  the  plays  given.  A  small 
but  well-proportioned  band  of  twenty  pieces,  for  which 
the  leader  can  adapt  and  arrange  music, —  such  as  opera 
selections,  overtures,  dances,  with  solos  for  different  in- 
struments,—  is  competent  to  furnish  music  which  will  give 
pleasure  to  the  educated  ear,  and  be  at  the  same  time  an 
educator  of  the  popular  taste.  If  an  orchestra  of  twenty 
is  too  expensive,  it  would  be  better  to  reduce  the  number 
to  a  half-dozen  players,  and  have,  in  addition  to  a  piano 
and  a  cabinet  organ,  a  fair  violinist,  a  violoncellist,  or 
some  other  solist.  Instead  of  that,  we  have  now  a  blatant 
cornet  or  trombone,  drums,  bells,  wood  and  straw  instru- 
ments, every  one  making  the  greatest  possible  noise, 
headed  by  an  important  conductor,  with  a  baton  in  his 
hand  instead  of  a  violin  bow.  We  had  better  music  in 
the  theatres  twenty  years  ago  than  we  have  at  present. 
Why  appeal  in  music  to  a  lower  class,  or  allow  in  the 
orchestra  a  lower  standard  than  is  in  keeping  with  what 
is  presented  on  the  stage  ? 

I  have  mentioned  thus  hastily  some  of  the  defects  of 
our  methods  of  musical  instruction,  and  pointed  out  some 
of  the  obstacles  to  our  advancement  to  a  higher  musical 
standard.  What  are  the  remedies?  I  was  once  asked 
by  a  gentleman  what  he  ought  to  do  to  make  his  children 
musical.  He  perhaps  expected  me  to  advise  him  to  send 
the  girls  to  Italy  to  study  vocalization,  and  to  set  the  boys 


APPENDIX  271 

to  practising  the  violin  so  many  hours  a  day  and  studying 
harmony.  I  told  him  to  form  for  them  a  singing  class 
under  the  care  of  a  good  teacher,  that  they  might  learn  to 
use  their  vocal  organs,  to  form  a  good  tone,  and  to  read 
music;  after  they  became  old  enough,  to  let  them  join  a 
choral  society,  where,  for  two  hours  once  a  week,  they 
could  assist  in  singing  good  music;  and,  above  all,  to 
afford  them  every  opportunity  of  hearing  good  music  of 
every  kind.  This  gentleman  knew  nothing  of  music,  but 
thought  the  advice  "sounded  like  common  sense." 

If  we  have  arrived  at  that  point  where  it  is  considered 
necessary  to  give  music  a  place  in  the  common-school 
education,  it  is  time  that  something  like  organized  work 
should  be  done  for  the  general  cultivation  of  taste.  The 
formation  of  singing  societies  would  reach  the  people,  and 
the  knowledge  which  the  children  are  supposed  to  gain  in 
the  schools  would  be  sufficient  for  participation  in  such 
societies.  So  far  as  the  singers  themselves  are  concerned, 
everybody  who  has  ever  sung  in  a  chorus  knows  that 
nothing  so  awakens  an  interest  in  music  as  helping  to  make 
it.  The  sympathies  of  hundreds  are  enlisted  through 
their  personal  relations  with  the  singers,  and  gradually  a 
correct  taste  is  formed  and  developed.  If  the  proper 
means  be  put  in  use,  and  those  who  are  willing  to  do  some- 
thing for  music  will  organize  for  work  with  a  purpose  in  it, 
such  is  the  power  of  music  that  the  growth  will  be  steady 
until  the  general  state  is  one  of  worth  and  dignity.  In 
European  countries,  while  the  highest  mark  attained  by 
the  advanced  class  is  no  higher  than  here,  the  love  for  and 
understanding  of  music  is  more  widely  diffused.  The 
Philharmonic  concerts  do  not  appeal  to  the  general  public ; 
they  are  for  this  advanced  class,  and  are  well  supported. 
But  this  class  does  not  grow  in  numbers  as  rapidly  as  it 


272  THEODORE  THOMAS 

ought.  The  steps  by  which  the  people  can  be  led  up  to 
the  plane  of  these  concerts  are  lacking.  They  were  once 
partly  supplied  by  the  Central  Park  garden  concerts, 
which  were  managed  in  a  way  that  gave  no  offence  to  the 
social  ideas  of  the  people,  and  hence  had  their  support.  It 
is  of  great  importance  at  present  to  give  the  people  the 
right  kind  of  food.  Their  taste  has  been  awakened  and 
they  are  willing  to  be  led.  The  way  in  which  music  is 
often  taught  is  an  insult  to  any  person  of  common  intellect. 
The  intelligence  is  not  appealed  to,  but  the  pupil  is  treated 
like  a  child,  and  often  remains,  musically  speaking,  a 
child  his  life  long. 

The  value  of  a  visit  to  Europe,  at  the  proper  time,  is 
of  course  great  for  those  studying  music;  but  pupils  should 
not  be  sent  there  for  technical  instruction,  but  for  the 
knowledge  of  other  schools  and  methods  —  in  short,  for 
the  experience.  A  great  many  singers  are  sent  to  Italy; 
and  what  results  have  we  ?  If  they  devote  themselves  to 
vocalization  and  really  learn  to  vocalize  —  and  many  do 
not  —  they  come  back  without  a  repertory  of  practical 
value.  They  display  their  acquirements  in  some  show 
pieces  of  operatic  airs  to  which  they  have  given  all  their 
attention,  and  for  which  there  is  no  demand.  Many 
singers  are  excluded  from  opportunities  of  appearing  in 
good  concerts,  because  they  have  no  pieces  in  keeping  with 
the  character  of  the  programmes.  Why  send  them  so  far 
to  acquire  that  which  is  of  no  use  to  them  ?  What  a  waste 
of  money  and,  more  serious  still,  what  a  dreadful  ruin  of 
moral  character  often  results!  No  teacher  in  a  foreign 
country  can  rightly  understand  how  to  prepare  pupils  for 
practical  work  here.  Though  the  taste  for  singing  was 
awakened  by  Italian  opera,  and  though  the  Italian  method 
of  using  the  voice  commends  itself  to  us,  the  educated 


APPENDIX  273 

American  is  not  satisfied  with  the  Italian  repertory,  and 
soon  outgrows  it.  I  am  satisfied  that  we  shall  never  have 
a  standard  opera,  that  will  take  hold  of  the  people,  until 
we  educate  our  own  singers  for  the  stage,  and  choose  our 
repertory  from  the  best  Italian,  French,  and  German 
works. 

We  want  home  education  and  thorough  home  education 
of  a  kind  suited  to  the  needs  and  demands  of  our  people, 
and  calculated  to  promote  the  new  life  which  we  hope  is 
opening  before  us.  We  want  an  end  of  amateurism  in 
teachers  and  other  professionals.  Those  who  present 
themselves  to  guide  the  people  must  have  thoroughly 
studied  music,  not  dabbled  in  it.  We  need  some  provision 
for  the  talent  which  is  developing  every  day  —  we  need 
institution,  well  endowed,  which  will  not  be  obliged  to 
adopt  a  mere  commercial  standard  for  want  of  the  means 
of  support.  We  need  the  influences  coming  naturally 
from  such  institutions.  We  need  them,  not  only  to  give 
instruction  to  pupils,  but  to  keep  up  a  high  standard  of 
excellence.  We  need  them  for  our  numerous  earnest 
teachers  to  come  to  from  time  to  time,  to  rub  off  the  rust 
of  teaching,  and  refresh  themselves  by  contact  with  those 
who  live  in  a  musical  atmosphere.  The  greatest  enemy 
to  fight  is  mediocrity,  and  an  institution  of  standing  is  the 
only  sure  defence  against  it.  Such  an  institution  would 
afford  an  opportunity  for  public  or  semi-public  perform- 
ances, by  which  ability  would  be  tested  and  experience 
gained.  It  would  also  give  us  —  what  we  have  not  now  — 
a  suitable  place  for  the  performance  of  the  works  of  young 
composers.  A  concert  of  a  society  like  the  Philharmonic 
is  not  the  proper  place  for  experimental  music. 

There  are  many  ways  in  which  such  an  institution 
would  be  of  national  advantage.  It  would  not  only 


274  THEODORE  THOMAS 

develop  our  native  talent  and  give  us  a  true  standard  of 
excellence,  but  it  would  also  give  fresh  impetus  to  the 
mechanical  branch  of  the  art,  wherein  this  country  already 
occupies  an  enviable  position.  It  is  generally  acknowl- 
edged that  we  make  the  best  pianos.  Our  organs  are 
good,  and  our  brass  and  reed  instruments  are  of  a  superior 
quality.  But  the  most  noteworthy  fact  of  all  is  that  we 
are  making  the  best  violins.  Some  of  the  first  living 
violinists  claim  that  the  violins  made  by  George  Gemiinder 
are  worthy  to  rank  with  those  of  the  famous  Italian  makers, 
needing  only  age  to  prove  their  great  excellence.  Mr. 
Gemunder,  who  has  shown  himself  a  master  in  this  most 
difficult  art,  says  that  we  have  an  extraordinary  variety  of 
woods  suitable  for  instrument-making,  and  that  his  experi- 
ence, which  he  has  dearly  bought  by  indefatigable  labor 
since  1847,  shows  our  woods  to  be  in  no  way  inferior  to 
the  best  used  by  the  old  Italian  makers.  We  have,  fur- 
thermore, an  abundant  supply,  whereas  in  Europe  there 
is  a  great  scarcity.  The  rough  tone  of  the  violins  of 
German  manufacture  is  due  largely  to  the  inferior  quality 
of  the  wood.  A  striking  tribute  to  the  superiority  of  Mr. 
Gemimder's  work  is  furnished  by  the  following  authentic 
anecdote :  At  the  Vienna  Exhibition  there  was  a  collection 
of  the  best  specimens  of  violin-making.  It  included  not 
only  the  famous  instruments  of  the  Italian  makers,  but 
those  of  modern  workmanship.  Mr.  Gemunder  sent  a 
remarkable  violin,  made  by  him  after  the  pattern  of 
Joseph  Guarnerius.  The  judges,  who  had  been  selected 
from  all  parts  of  Europe  to  pronounce  upon  the  merits  of 
the  various  instruments,  refused  to  admit  this  particular 
one  to  competition,  declaring  that  the  competitor  was 
trying  to  deceive  them  with  a  genuine  old  instrument  in  an 
unusually  good  state  of  preservation. 


APPENDIX  275 

It  will  be  seen,  therefore,  that  we  have  in  this  country 
the  possibilities  of  a  great  musical  future.  We  have  the 
natural  taste  of  the  people  for  music,  their  strong  desire 
to  have  only  the  best,  and  their  readiness  to  recognize 
what  is  the  best  when  it  is  presented  to  them.  We  have 
exceptional  natural  resources  for  the  making  of  musical 
instruments.  Nature  has  done  her  part  of  the  work 
generously;  it  remains  for  us  to  do  ours. 

MUSIC  IN  CHICAGO 

[Written  by  Mr.  Thomas  for  "The  Chicago  Tribune," 

January  23,  1894.] 

I  have  always  regarded  Chicago  as  a  music-loving 
city,  and  although  when  we  first  began  to  come  here, 
many  years  ago,  comparatively  few  persons  knew  much 
about  music,  we  found  here  a  widespread  love  for  it, 
which  very  soon  developed  into  an  appreciation  of  and 
desire  for  music  of  the  best  kind. 

During  the  old  summer  night  concerts  of  former  years, 
I  noticed  each  season  a  marked  advance  in  musical  taste, 
as  expressed  in  the  "requests"  sent  in  for  our  weekly 
"request  programmes."  Indeed  so  high  a  class  of  music 
was  asked  for  in  the  last  few  seasons  of  these  concerts, 
that  I  could  have  made  up  a  regular  symphony  pro- 
gramme of  the  most  classic  order,  every  week,  without 
departing  in  the  least  from  numbers  actually  requested, 
had  it  seemed  wise  to  do  so.  As  an  instance  of  this  I 
might  mention  one  of  the  most  largely  attended  and 
warmly  applauded  "request  programmes"  we  ever  gave, 
the  first  part  of  which  contained  six  successive  numbers 
by  Bach,  and  the  Dvorak  Symphonic  Variations;  the 
second  part,  compositions  by  Beethoven,  Brahms,  and 


276  THEODORE  THOMAS 

Wagner;  while  the  third  and  lightest  part  asked  for 
nothing  more  popular  than  Liszt's  "  Twelfth  Rhapsody " 
and  a  portion  of  Moszkowski's  Suite,  op.  39.  I  remember 
that  this  programme  called  forth  some  comment  from 
some  of  the  Eastern  papers,  whose  editors  refused  to 
believe  that  its  numbers  were  really  requested  by  the 
audience  of  a  summer  night  concert. 

The  interest  thus  early  manifested  in  music  has  steadily 
advanced,  as  the  public  have  had  the  opportunity  to  hear 
it  more  frequently.  No  surer  proof  of  this  is  needed 
than  the  recent  successful  effort  to  establish  a  great  per- 
manent orchestral  organization  on  lines  of  the  very  highest 
art.  I  have  been  very  much  encouraged  by  the  attitude 
which  the  Chicago  people  have  taken  in  regard  to  this 
work.  Only  those  who  are  directly  interested  in  the 
management  of  such  an  organization  have  any  idea  of  the 
many  difficulties  which  have  to  be  surmounted  in  order 
to  make  its  maintenance  possible.  In  Chicago  these 
difficulties  are  increased  a  hundredfold,  because  the  city 
is  situated  so  far  from  all  other  large  cities  that  the  great 
expense  of  transporting  the  orchestra  makes  it  impossible 
to  take  engagements  for  single  concerts  in  them,  and  so  we 
cannot  look  for  any  assistance  from  outside  sources,  but 
our  city  has  to  bear  the  whole  burden  alone. 

Under  these  circumstances,  and  when  it  is  also  taken 
into  consideration  that  the  orchestra  has  been  maintained 
as  an  art  institution,  and  not,  as  an  amusement  bureau,  it 
naturally  follows  that  the  expense  has  been  a  large  one  to 
those  generous  and  cultivated  citizens  who  have  sup- 
ported it.  But  I  have  not  yet  heard  one  murmur  of  dis- 
content on  this  head  from  any  one  who  has  given  liberally  in 
either  money  or  time  toward  the  support  of  this  institution. 

But  one  spirit  seems  to  pervade  the  minds  of  those 


APPENDIX  277 

who  are  working  together  in  this  noble  cause  —  it  is  the 
best  Chicago  spirit  which  has  made  realities  of  such  vast 
undertakings  as  the  Art  Institute,  the  Chicago  University, 
the  World's  Fair,  and  the  Field  Columbian  Museum,  and 
which  thinks  only  of  establishing  something  ennobling  and 
refining  in  our  great  Western  metropolis,  to  temper  the 
influences  of  the  daily  struggle  of  life  and  to  lighten  its 
sordid  cares.  Such  a  spirit  does  not  seek  to  cramp  its 
artistic  standards  within  the  limits  of  the  means  provided, 
but  rather  to  enlarge  the  means  to  meet  the  requirements 
of  the  standards. 

When  Chicago  men  start  a  good  work,  and  are  con- 
vinced that  it  is  good,  they  do  not  pull  it  down  because  it 
is  more  costly  than  they  supposed  it  would  be.  On  the 
contrary,  they  merely  make  a  stronger  and  more  deter- 
mined effort  to  maintain  and  develop  it  to  its  highest  per- 
fection. The  architecture  of  the  World's  Fair  was  the 
most  extraordinary  instance  of  this  peculiar  characteristic. 
Rather  than  lower  its  artistic  standard  a  jot,  they  threw 
millions  into  the  work  without  a  thought  of  ever  getting 
back  a  dollar.  How  wise  this  policy  was  the  sequel 
proved,  for  hi  the  financial  stringency  of  last  fall  only  a 
meagre  crowd  would  have  come  to  the  Fair  without  the 
glories  of  the  Court  of  Honor  and  the  enchantment  of 
its  fairy  palaces. 

It  is  this  scorn  of  mediocrity  and  this  indomitable 
determination  to  have  the  best,  and  maintain  only  the 
highest  standard  in  all  its  enterprises,  which  makes  the 
greatness  of  this  city.  I  believe,  therefore,  that  having 
once  had  the  best  in  music,  Chicago  will  not  go  backward 
in  this  art  any  more  than  in  any  other,  but  will  find  the 
means  of  continuing  the  good  work  so  auspiciously  begun, 
and  of  constantly  enlarging  its  field  of  usefulness. 


278  THEODORE  THOMAS 

That  the  musical  taste  and  culture  of  the  people  here 
will  advance  from  year  to  year  as  the  art  grows  more 
familiar  to  them  naturally  must  follow.  Already  I  have 
observed  a  very  marked  change  in  the  conduct  of  our 
audiences,  showing  a  far  better  understanding  of  the  work 
than  was  apparent  three  years  ago.  At  that  time  our 
audiences  regarded  the  Orchestral  Association  concerts  in 
the  same  light  as  they  had  formerly  regarded  the  summer 
night  concerts,  and  acted  accordingly.  They  came  late, 
or  went  early,  constantly  moved  about,  talked,  and  in 
general  kept  up  a  little  restless  disturbance  throughout 
the  entire  programme  which  seriously  marred  the  per- 
formance. Also,  they  were  all  the  time  clamoring  for  the 
old  summer  night  programmes,  and  complaining  because 
they  had  to  pay  more  than  the  old  scale  of  summer  night 
prices.  It  was  some  time  before  they  could  understand 
that  a  great  symphony  orchestra  of  ninety  men  could  not 
be  supported  through  the  whole  winter  for  the  same  price 
paid  to  the  little  orchestra  of  less  than  sixty  for  a  month 
at  midsummer.  Nor  could  they  at  first  appreciate  the 
vast  artistic  difference  between  the  standards  of  the  two 
organizations,  or  comprehend  that  a  standard  of  pro- 
gramme which  might  even  be  high  in  a  garden  concert 
would  be  as  wholly  unsuited  to  our  winter  concerts  as  a 
chromo  hung  among  the  Dutch  masterpieces  at  the  Art 
Institute. 

But  already  this  has  changed.  Our  audience  has 
learned  that  the  master  works  of  the  great  composers 
contain  more  good  for  brain  and  soul  than  the  prettiest 
waltzes  that  ever  were  penned;  it  has  discovered  that 
there  is  a  deeper  joy  and  a  nobler  spirituality  to  be  gained 
from  familiarity  with  the  higher  art  forms  than  it  ever 
dreamed  of  seeking  in  the  lower.  It  has  discovered  that 


APPENDIX  279 

while  Strauss  or  Bizet  will  charm  the  ear,  Beethoven  and 
Wagner  will  warm  and  thrill  the  whole  nature.  Hence 
we  find  that  our  popular  programmes  do  not  now  draw 
as  large  an  audience  as  our  symphony  programmes;  the 
largest  audiences  in  the  three  years  having  been  those  of  last 
winter,  when  Beethoven's  Ninth  Symphony  was  performed 
—  with  the  exception  of  those  at  which  Paderewski  played. 

And  having  learned  to  value  and  appreciate  the  music, 
our  audience  now  wishes  to  hear  it  all.  The  late  comers 
are  much  fewer,  and  are  content  to  wait  for  a  pause  in  the 
music  before  disturbing  others  by  taking  their  seats. 
Talking  has  almost  wholly  ceased,  and  only  those  leave 
early  who  are  obliged  to  take  suburban  trains.  When  the 
orchestra  gives  an  especially  fine  rendering  of  any  number, 
we  generally  find  now  that  the  audience  takes  notice  of  it, 
and  very  few  people  have  any  idea  how  intelligent  and  dis- 
criminating listeners  react  upon  the  performers.  A  stupid 
audience  kills  the  orchestra  dead  in  five  minutes,  as  water 
kills  fire,  whereas  an  intelligent  and  responsive  audience  will 
stimulate  the  musicians  at  once  to  their  best  efforts. 

In  conclusion,  I  need  hardly  say  that  the  musical  future 
of  Chicago  looks  to  me  full  of  the  brightest  promise.  That 
this  promise  may  find  ample  realization  is  my  earnest 
hope. 

FAREWELL  BANQUET  IN  NEW  YORK 

[As  a  testimonial  of  respect  and  admiration  many  leading 
citizens  and  musicians  of  New  York  tendered  a  farewell 
banquet  to  Mr.  Thomas  at  Delmonico's,  on  the  evening  of 
April  22,  1891,  Hon.  George  William  Curtis  occupying  the 
chair.  Among  the  guests  were  many  of  the  most  distinguished 
citizens  of  New  York.  Mr.  Curtis  made  the  following  speech 
in  proposing  the  health  of  "  a  public  benefactor."  The  other 
speakers  were  Mr.  Parke  Godwin,  Mr.  William  Steinway, 
Rev.  Arthur  Brooks,  and  William  Mason. — EDR.] 


280  THEODORE  THOMAS 

"I  rise  to  propose  the  health  of  a  public  benefactor  — 
an  artist  whose  devotion  to  a  beautiful,  refining,  and 
ennobling  art  has  greatly  distinguished  his  name  and 
given  great  distinction  to  the  city  in  which  he  lives  —  the 
health  of  the  central  figure  of  the  musical  life  of  New  York 
for  a  generation,  and  your  hearts  go  before  my  tongue  in 
saluting  Theodore  Thomas.  He  has  made  the  conductor's 
baton  an  imperial  sceptre,  with  which  he  rules,  not  only 
an  orchestra  but  an  ever  widening  realm  of  musical  taste 
and  cultivation.  In  his  hand  it  has  become  an  enchanter's 
wand  which  has  transformed  our  musical  ignorance  and 
crudity  into  ample  knowledge  and  generous  appreciation. 
While  it  has  introduced  us  to  the  learned  and  acknowl- 
edged masters  of  the  past,  it  has  summoned  and  revealed 
the  still  shadowy  figures  of  the  future.  Musical  artists 
have  come  and  gone.  Virtuosos  of  every  kind  have 
appeared,  have  charmed  us  and  have  vanished.  Our 
private  accomplishment  has  advanced  from  the  "Battle 
of  Prague"  and  the  variations  of  Henri  Herz  to  the 
symphonies  of  Schumann,  the  songs  of  Rubinstein,  the 
Schubert  transcriptions  of  Liszt,  and  is  still  pushing  on 
and  on  like  Columbus,  sailing  beyond  the  horizon  into 
unknown  seas.  But  the  one  figure  which  has  remained, 
the  laureate  of  the  past  and  the  herald  of  the  future,  is 
Theodore  Thomas. 

"I  suppose  there  are  very  few  guests  at  these  tables  of 
memories  so  daring  as  mine,  which  recalls  the  coming  of 
Jenny  Lind  to  this  country.  I  remember  her  always  with 
a  certain  selfish  pleasure,  because  I  heard  her,  I  believe, 
every  evening  that  she  sang  in  this  city,  and  when  on  the 
last  evening  she  sang  her  farewell  to  America  at  Castle 
Garden,  she  held  in  her  hand  a  bouquet  that  I  had  sent 
her,  and  which  still  perfumes  my  recollection  of  that 


APPENDIX  281 

incomparable  singer.  A  few  years  before,  when  Fanny 
Ellsler  was  here,  bewitching  the  heels  rather  than  the 
heads  or  hearts  of  the  golden  youth  of  that  time  they  un- 
harnessed the  horses  from  her  carriage  and  drew  her  across 
the  street  to  her  hotel,  merely  substituting,  as  an  elderly 
cynic  of  the  time  remarked,  jackasses  for  horses.  We 
did  not  draw  Jenny  Lind  in  her  carriage,  but  the  youth  of 
her  day  —  of  whom  my  friend  Parke  Godwin  was  one,  who 
paid  her  tribute  in  the  charming  tale  of  "Vala" — have 
borne  her  in  their  hearts  across  a  generation,  and  their 
hearts  still  rise  at  the  mention  of  her  name  as  the  Garde 
du  Roi  sprang  cheering  to  their  feet  when  the  Queen 
appeared. 

"  There  is  one  story  of  Jenny  Lind  which  I  always  recall 
with  entire  confidence  in  its  truth,  because  it  ought  to  be 
true.  After  her  return  from  her  American  triumph  she 
was  in  Italy,  and  went  one  day  from  Florence  to  the  con- 
vent at  Vallombrosa,  to  which  the  young  Milton  went  when 
on  his  travels.  When  she  came  to  the  chapel  the  monks 
with  courteous  and  deprecating  regret  told  her  that  no 
woman  could  enter.  She  smiled  as  she  said:  'Perhaps 
if  you  knew  who  I  am  you  would  let  me  in.'  'And  who 
might  the  gracious  lady  be  ? '  returned  the  monks.  But 
when  she  said,  '  I  am  Jenny  Lind,'  every  head  was  bowed 
and  the  doors  were  flung  wide  open.  Then  when  she 
seated  herself  at  the  organ  and  sang  where  Milton  had 
sat  and  played,  I  can  imagine  the  heavenly  visions  that 
floated  before  the  minds  of  the  monks  and  that  they 
crossed  themselves  reverently  as  they  listened  and  believed 
that  St.  Cecilia  had  descended. 

"  That  is  what  I  have  always  thought  of  her  visit  to 
America.  St.  Cecilia  descended  upon  these  shores,  com- 
ing to  give  the  right  impulse  to  our  musical  development. 


282  THEODORE  THOMAS 

But  St.  Cecilia  would  have  descended  in  vain  if  there  had 
been  no  continuing  personal  force  in  the  country  of  her 
own  spirit  in  art,  of  a  kindred  enthusiasm  and  lofty  pur- 
pose. Happily  in  the  orchestra  at  her  concerts  there  was 
a  youth  who  played  the  first  violin,  and  who  has  continued 
to  play  it  ever  since,  everybody  else  playing  second  fiddle, 
and  to  the  genius,  the  untiring  devotion,  the  intelligence, 
the  energy,  the  masterly  skill  of  that  youth,  more  than  to 
any  other  single  force,  we  owe  the  remarkable  musical 
interest  and  cultivation  and  the  musical  preeminence  of 
New  York  to-day. 

"I  do  not  mean,  of  course,  that  there  have  not  been 
other  admirable  artists  and  effective  influences  cooperat- 
ing to  this  noble  result.  Certainly  I  do  not  forget  Berg- 
mann  and  Damrosch.  I  do  not  forget  those  upon  whom 
my  eyes  fall  at  this  moment.  But  during  all  this  time  the 
constant  dominating  personality  has  been  that  of  Theo- 
dore Thomas.  It  was  Thomas  with  Bergner,  Mosenthal, 
Matzka,  and  Mason  in  the  old  Dodworth  salon.  It  was 
Thomas  in  the  Central  Park  Garden ;  Thomas  in  the  Phil- 
harmonic Society;  Thomas  in  the  great  festival  of  1882. 
It  was  always  Thomas  and  his  orchestra,  and  always 
Thomas  and  his  baton,  like  the  valiant  Henry  of  Navarre 
and  his  white  plume  waving  in  the  van  of  victory. 

"The  great  works  of  the  great  composers,  the  mighty 
music  of  the  masters  who  have  given  to  their  art  an  equal 
renown  with  the  kindred  arts  of  literature  and  painting 
and  sculpture;  the  music  of  Bach  and  Handel,  of  Mozart 
and  Haydn  and  Beethoven — names  that  in  their  kind  shine 
in  equal  lustre  with  those  of  Raphael  and  Angelo  and 
Shakespeare  —  has  been  played  continuously  from  year 
to  year  under  Thomas's  direction  in  a  manner  not  often 
surpassed  at  the  Conservatoire  or  the  Gewandhaus;  while 


APPENDIX  283 

the  music  of  a  later  day  and  of  another  charm  has  been 
so  interpreted  by  him  that  after  the  great  Wagner  after- 
noon at  the  Festival  Mme.  Materna  said  to  me  that  Wagner 
had  never  heard  that  work  of  his  own  so  magnificently 
rendered.  Thomas's  whole  career  has  been  a  campaign  of 
education.  If  he  has  revealed  to  us  more  fully  Beethoven, 
whom  we  knew,  it  is  he,  also,  who  first  showed  us  that 
there  was  a  Wagner  who  might  be  worth  knowing.  He 
has  given  to  New  York  a  musical  distinction  without  which 
no  great  city  is  a  metropolis;  and  Chicago  has  shown  the 
true  metropolitan  instinct  in  securing  his  musical  leader- 
ship. It  is  because  of  the  dignity  of  his  career,  its  absolute 
fidelity  to  a  high  ideal,  its  total  freedom  from  charlatanry 
of  every  kind  that  his  service  to  this  city  has  been  so  sig- 
nal a  public  benefit  and  that  his  departure  is  a  public 
misfortune. 

"  But  a  great  interpreter  of  music  —  and  such  is  a  great 
conductor — wherever  he  goes  carries  his  own  welcome  wkh 
him.  It  is  not  as  a  stranger  that  he  goes  to  Chicago;  it 
is  because  he  is  not  a  stranger,  because  Chicago  knows 
him  well,  that  she  asks  him  to  come.  And  he  does  not  go 
alone.  He  takes  with  him  our  gratitude,  our  admiration, 
and  our  affection.  He  goes  wreathed  and  garlanded  with 
our  cheers  and  hopes  and  our  perfect  confidence  in  his 
return.  For  New  York  only  lends  Theodore  Thomas  to 
Chicago.  With  metropolitan  magnanimity  she  decorates 
with  one  of  her  own  precious  jewels  her  younger  and 
successful  competitor  for  the  prize  of  the  great  Fair.  But 
presently  she  will  reclaim  it  and  restore  it  to  her  crown  with 
a  fresher  lustre  gained  from  her  sister's  coronet.  There- 
fore on  your  behalf,  on  behalf  of  the  great  multitude  of 
New  Yorkers  who  follow  him  with  a  pang  of  farewell,  but 
with  a  hearty  godspeed,  I  say  to  him  in  a  language  familiar 


284  THEODORE  THOMAS 

to  him  before  he  knew  that  in  which  I  am  speaking: 
'Wir  sagen  nicht,  Lebewohl;  wir  sagen  nur,  Gott  be- 
fohlen,  bis  auf  Wiedersehen ! '" 


THE  NEW  YORK  FESTIVAL  OF   1882 

[George  William  Curtis,  in  the  "  Editor's  Easy  Chair, " 
"Harper's  Magazine,"  July,  1882.] 

From  the  Philharmonic  concerts  of  the  last  generation 
in  the  old  Apollo  Rooms  upon  Broadway  below  Canal 
Street,  and  from  the  Italian  opera,  and  opera  singers,  of 
which  Mr.  Richard  Grant  White,  the  master  critic  of  that 
day,  is  giving  us  charming  reminiscences,  to  the  Music 
Festival  of  1882  in  the  Seventh  Regiment  Armory,  is  a 
step  of  progress  which  is  amazing  and  incredible.  The 
Philharmonic  audience  was  a  pleasant  little  assembly, 
which  listened  doubtfully  to  the  music  of  Beethoven 
pleasantly  played  by  a  moderate  orchestra.  The  Festival 
audience  was  a  vast  multitude  bursting  into  a  tumult  of 
delight  over  the  music  of  Beethoven,  Mozart,  Schubert, 
and  Wagner,  played  incomparably  by  a  vast  orchestra  of 
three  hundred  exquisitely  trained  musicians,  and  the 
mighty  Handelian  choruses  rolled  sublimely  forth  from 
a  host  of  three  thousand  voices. 

It  was  not  the  first  music  festival  in  the  country. 
There  had  been  festivals  in  Cincinnati  and  Chicago,  and 
a  monster  performance  in  Boston,  and  the  admirable 
Damrosch  Festival  in  New  York.  But  the  legitimate 
grandeur  of  the  Festival  of  this  year,  the  symmetrical 
precision  and  perfection  of  the  orchestra,  over  whose  won- 
derful richness  of  effect  the  spirits  of  the  great  masters 
might  well  have  hovered,  satisfied  and  approving;  the 
vast  chorus  gathered  from  different  cities,  which,  suddenly 


APPENDIX  285 

brought  together,  blended  under  the  magic  baton  of  the 
conductor  in  a  majestic  and  inspiring  volume  of  sound; 
and  the  solo  singers,  greatest  of  the  world  in  their  various 
kinds,  from  the  grand  dignity  of  Materna  to  the  exquisite 
delicacy  and  grace  of  vocalization  of  Gerster,  and  from 
the  broad,  manly,  fresh  vigor  of  Candidus  to  the  sweet  and 
fervid  charm  of  Campanini  —  all  these  combined  to  make 
the  first  week  of  May  memorable,  and  to  indicate  the  high- 
water  mark  in  the  musical  annals  of  the  country. 

We  have  mentioned  the  various  musical  elements  of 
this  great  success,  but  we  have  not  mentioned  the  supreme 
organizing  and  directing  force.  Many  things  were  im- 
portant to  the  result,  but  one  thing  was  indispensable. 
That  was  the  conductor.  It  was  a  misfortune  that  Miss 
Gary  was  unwell,  and  could  not  appear  until  the  last  day. 
It  would  have  been  a  serious  blow  had  Madame  Materna 
been  prevented  by  any  reason  from  appearing,  or  had  she 
failed  to  justify  the  high  anticipation  that  awaited  her 
coming.  But  it  would  have  been  fatal  had  any  mishap 
befallen  Theodore  Thomas.  In  the  sense  that  Napoleon 
was  Austerlitz,  Thomas  was  the  Festival.  Without  Na- 
poleon there  had  been  no  Austerlitz;  without  Thomas, 
no  Festival.  For  him,  indeed,  it  was  a  peculiar  triumph. 
To  those  who  have  known  his  long,  unwearied,  most 
efficient,  and  most  unselfish  devotion  to  the  development 
and  education  of  the  best  musical  taste  in  this  country,  it 
was  a  profound  satisfaction  to  feel  the  immense  musical 
success  of  this  Festival.  The  long  selection  of  music  to 
be  performed  was  of  sustained  excellence.  There  was  no 
attempt  to  catch  a  cheap  applause,  or  to  tickle  the  ears  of 
a  multitude.  The  purpose  was  not  superficial  entertain- 
ment, but  the  enjoyment  that  comes  from  the  highest  art. 

As  those  who  were  directly  interested  in  the  prepara- 


286  THEODORE  THOMAS 

tions  saw  the  leader  massing  his  vocal  and  instrumental 
lines  to  scale  the  rugged  and  perpendicular  heights  of  the 
most  inaccessible  Beethoven  and  Handelian  chorals,  or  to 
thread  the  weird  and  bewildering  labyrinths  of  the  Wag- 
nerian  orchestration,  they  could  not  but  feel  that  at  least 
the  director  was  no  doubting  Thomas,  and  his  courageous 
confidence  inspired  the  enterprise.  Indeed,  that  is  the 
secret  of  Mr.  Thomas's  success.  He  believes  in  his  cause, 
and  therefore  he  conquers.  He  believes  that  the  public 
will  accept  and  enjoy  the  best  music,  and  he  makes  them 
enjoy  it.  When  it  was  asked  of  a  certain  concert  whether 
it  was  not  beyond  the  public  taste,  the  answer  was,  "This 
is  the  only  way  to  lift  the  public  taste."  Like  the  old 
warrior  who  hurled  his  javelin  far  into  the  ranks  of  the 
enemy,  and  fought  his  way  forward  to  recover  it,  Thomas 
flings  his  baton  higher  and  higher  toward  the  pure 
and  awful  peaks,  and  we  all  gladly  press  after,  up,  up, 
into  a  more  inspiring  air  and  a  broader  and  grander 
horizon.  .  .  . 

As  the  week's  performances  ended  toward  Saturday 
midnight  amid  a  tumult  of  delight  from  the  thousands 
that  crowded  the  vast  hall,  and  after  five  minutes  of  a 
continuous  roar  of  demand  from  the  audience  that  would 
not  depart  until  he  appeared,  Mr.  Thomas  came  forward 
to  receive  such  a  greeting  as  we  have  never  seen  surpassed 
upon  any  occasion.  Amid  the  tornado  of  excited  applause, 
the  retiring  auditor  of  a  philosophic  and  contemplative  turn 
undoubtedly  asked  himself  what  was  the  real  permanent 
result  of  so  great  a  musical  triumph.  The  result,  how- 
ever, was  evident.  It  is  shown  that  a  festival  need  not 
be  merely  a  series  of  "big,"  or  "monster,"  or  "mammoth" 
concerts,  but  that  larger  numbers  both  of  instruments  and 
singers  may  greatly  increase  the  true  effect  of  the  music. 


APPENDIX  287 

Indeed,  the  grandest  choral  effects  require  vast  space  and 
a  mighty  volume  of  sound,  which  are  possible  only  under 
the  conditions  of  a  festival,  and  most  of  the  finest  con- 
temporary instrumental  music  contemplates  an  immense 
orchestra.  Nor  is  an  adequate  voice  and  a  noble  manner 
lost  in  a  festival,  however  large  the  space. 

ORCHESTRA  HALL  DEDICATION 

[Address  of  Hon.  George  E.  Adams  upon  the  occasion  of 
the  dedication  of  Orchestra  Hall,  Chicago,  December  14, 1904.] 

"The  president  and  trustees  have  asked  me,  as  a 
former  president  of  the  Association,  to  bid  you  welcome 
to  the  dedication  of  the  permanent  home  of  the  Chicago 
orchestra. 

"It  is  an  event  to  which  we  have  looked  forward  with 
hope,  hope  sometimes  discouraged  but  never  entirely  cast 
down,  for  the  last  fourteen  years. 

"Fourteen  years  ago  the  Orchestral  Association  was 
formed.  It  was  founded  on  an  agreement  between 
Theodore  Thomas  and  five  gentlemen  of  Chicago,  the 
charter  members  of  the  Association.  They  were  N.  K. 
Fairbank,  E.  B.  McCagg,  A.  C.  Bartlett,  Charles  D. 
Hamill,  and  C.  Norman  Fay.  Between  Mr.  Thomas  and 
these  gentlemen  there  was  the  mutual  pledge  that  in  the 
concerts  of  the  orchestra  the  highest  standard  of  art  should 
be  maintained  whatever  the  effect  on  the  box  office  receipts 
might  be.  I  need  not  say  that  that  pledge  has  been  kept. 

"It  involved  a  serious  pecuniary  loss  to  Mr.  Thomas, 
and  it  was  known  beforehand  that  it  would  involve  a 
serious  pecuniary  loss  to  the  Association.  Annual  deficits 
were  expected,  and  they  came.  They  were  made  up 
willingly.  They  were  paid  willingly  in  the  hope  that  if 


z88  THEODORE  THOMAS 

the  orchestra  could  be  supported  from  year  to  year, 
sooner  or  later  a  movement  would  be  started  to  establish 
it  in  a  permanent  home.  Such  a  movement  was  started 
two  years  ago,  and  the  result  is  the  beautiful  hall  where 
we  are  gathered  to-night. 

"The  erection  of  this  home  of  music  is  notable  in 
more  ways  than  one.  That  in  this  eager,  driving,  indus- 
trial city  nearly  three-quarters  of  a  million  dollars  could 
be  raised  by  voluntary  contributions,  not  for  profitable 
enterprise,  but  to  aid  the  highest  manifestation  of  the 
most  spiritual  of  all  the  arts  is  in  itself  significant.  But 
the  true  significance  of  the  fact  lies  in  the  source  from 
which  the  money  comes.  It  is  not  the  easy  gift  of  million- 
aires. There  are  more  than  eight  thousand  contributors. 
They  represent  the  rich,  the  well-to-do,  and  the  poor. 
And  the  poorest  contributor  of  the  smallest  sum  has  the 
same  right  as  any  other  to  look  on  this  beautiful  building 
with  pride  and  a  sense  of  personal  ownership. 

"Much  of  this  money  has  come  directly  from  indi- 
viduals, but  it  is  significant  of  one  of  the  social  forces  of 
our  time  and  country  that  a  considerable  sum  comes  from 
associations  of  individuals.  It  comes  from  musical  socie- 
ties and  from  social  and  literary  clubs ;  from  all  trades  and 
professions,  from  railroads,  from  the  public  schools,  from 
janitors,  and  scrub-women.  It  comes  from  Chicago  and 
its  suburbs;  from  Evanston  and  Aurora  and  other  towns 
of  Illinois;  from  Iowa  and  from  other  States,  and  part  of 
it  comes  from  Europe. 

"But  why,  it  may  be  asked,  is  it  necessary  to  ask  or  to 
receive  these  contributions  from  those  who  perhaps  can 
never  expect  to  listen  to  music  in  this  hall  ?  There  are 
those  who  have  said  that  an  orchestral  association,  like  a 
vaudeville  company,  ought  to  be  supported  by  its  box 


APPENDIX  289 

office  receipts,  and  that  if  it  cannot  be  so  supported  it  has 
no  right  to  exist  at  all.  Those  who  think  so  forget  that 
orchestral  music  is  a  means  of  education  as  well  as  a 
means  of  amusement,  and  that  its  influence  for  good,  like 
the  influence  of  a  great  university,  is  indirect  as  well  as 
direct,  and  spreads  far  beyond  the  circle  of  its  immediate 
hearers. 

"I  have  read  somewhere  that  more  than  half  of  the 
wealth  of  Oxford  University  comes  from  the  gifts  of 
charitable  women,  gifts  to  the  cause  of  higher  education, 
the  direct  benefits  of  which  these  women  could  not  expect 
to  share.  But  for  such  gifts  neither  Oxford  nor  Cam- 
bridge would  have  existed  —  no,  nor  Yale,  nor  Harvard, 
nor  any  other  great  institution  of  learning. 

"As  it  has  been  with  the  higher  forms  of  learning,  so 
it  has  been  with  the  higher  forms  of  art.  Painting, 
sculpture,  architecture,  and  music  were  for  centuries  up- 
held by  the  mighty  hands  of  the  church  —  and  when  the 
influence  of  the  church  declined,  and  the  Renaissance 
followed  the  age  of  faith,  it  was  the  splendid  personal 
generosity  of  popes  and  Italian  princes  that  gave 
Michael  Angelo  and  Raphael  for  an  eternal  possession. 

"Disinterested  patrons  of  art  there  must  be  whenever 
and  wherever  art  is  to  find  its  highest  expression.  The 
difference  between  former  times  and  now  is  that  then  the 
patron  of  art  was  a  pope  or  a  prince,  while  now  and  in 
this  country  the  most  effective  patron  of  art  is  an  associa- 
tion like  this,  in  which  rich  and  poor,  learned  and  un- 
learned men  and  women,  merchants  and  bankers,  pro- 
fessional men  and  workingmen,  join  hands  to  serve  the 
higher  life  of  the  community  in  which  they  live. 

"Nor  need  we  suppose  that  a  contributor,  large  or 
small,  to  this  orchestral  fund,  is  moved  solely  by  love  of 


290  THEODORE  THOMAS 

music.  He  may  be  moved  partly  or  altogether  by  civic 
pride.  When  the  merchant  princes  of  the  house  of  Medici 
adorned  Florence  with  paintings  and  statues  and  beauti- 
ful buildings  may  we  not  believe  that  they  were  moved 
not  only  by  the  love  of  art,  but  also  by  pride  in  their  be- 
loved city  ? 

"So  it  may  be  with  us.  Whatever  Chicago  may  be 
hereafter,  up  to  this  time  she  has  been  the  most  public- 
spirited  city  in  the  world.  We  are  proud  of  our  rapid 
growth  in  wealth  and  population,  but  we  are  not  satisfied 
with  the  merely  industrial  achievements  of  our  city  —  we 
demand  something  more  and  something  better. 

"We  look  through  the  dust  and  smoke  of  Chicago  as 
she  is,  to  see  the  fair  and  noble  form  of  our  city  as  she  will 
be,  a  centre  of  influence,  intellectual  and  artistic  as  well 
as  industrial,  a  school  of  the  nation,  as  Pericles  declared 
that  Athens  was  the  school  of  Greece. 

"One  thing  more.  We  have  built  here  a  noble  hall 
of  music.  It  is  a  merely  material  structure  of  brick  and 
stone  and  steel.  We  have  not  and  we  cannot  put  into 
this  building  its  living  soul.  That  is  a  task  for  other 
hands  than  ours. 

"How  can  I  fitly  express  the  sense  of  our  obligation 
to  the  members  of  the  orchestra  and  their  great  leader 
for  what  they  have  done  for  this  community  and  the 
greater  community  that  lives  around  it  ? 

"Mr.  Thomas  and  Gentlemen  of  the  Orchestra,  we 
hope  and  believe  that  this  building  will  outlive  every  one 
of  you  and  every  one  of  us.  We  hope  and  believe  that  it 
will  stand  for  generations  to  come.  But  if  it  stands  for 
centuries,  it  will  not  outlast  the  beneficent  influence  which 
you  have  bestowed  upon  the  higher  life  of  the  American 
people." 


APPENDIX  291 

THE  CHICAGO   ORCHESTRA'S    TESTIMONIAL 

[In  November,  1904,  the  members  of  the  Chicago  Orchestra 
decided  to  give  their  leader  a  banquet  in  the  latter  part  of 
January,  1905,  and  passed  a  series  of  resolutions,  which  were 
beautifully  engrossed  by  the  artist  Rascovitch.  These  were 
to  have  been  presented  to  him  on  that  occasion  as  a  testimonial 
of  esteem  and  loyalty,  but  he  did  not  live  to  receive  them. 
After  his  death  they  were  presented  to  Mrs.  Thomas. — EDR.] 

RESOLVED,  That  we  place  on  record  the  gratitude  we 
owe  to  you  as  our  respected  and  revered  leader  in  our 
own  campaign  of  education,  for  your  patience,  so  untir- 
ingly displayed,  for  your  help  so  freely  given,  for  the 
vigilant  watchfulness  with  which  you  have  always  guarded 
our  interests. 

RESOLVED,  That  we  place  upon  record  our  admiration 
of  the  high  musical  standard  you  have  maintained  and 
of  your  straightforward,  unswerving  course,  and  of  our 
love  for  the  man  who  has  never  "trifled  with  his  gifts" 
and  who  has  never  sacrificed  the  honor  of  his  art  to  gratify 
personal  ambition  or  further  personal  ends. 

RESOLVED,  Now  that  your  reward  has  come  and 
leader  and  players  are  in  their  own  home,  given  to  them 
by  lovers  of  music,  that  we  extend  to  you  our  heartiest 
congratulations.  Fifty  years  of  honest  work  have  not 
been  wasted.  You  have  come  to  your  own,  nobly  striven 
for,  nobly  won.  You  are  recognized  and  will  be  remem- 
bered for  your  self-sacrificing,  courageous  devotion  to 
the  highest  in  our  noble  art.  None  recognized  it  sooner, 
none  will  remember  it  longer  than  those  who  have  worked 
with  you. 

RESOLVED,  That  as  a  token  of  our  admiration  for  you 
as  a  musician,  of  our  loyalty  to  you  as  our  leader,  and  our 
affection  for  you  as  a  man,  we  ask  you  to  accept  this 


292  THEODORE  THOMAS 

tribute  with  the  wish  that  we  may  have  many  happy  and 
useful  years  together  in  the  new  home,  which  stands  as  a 
testimonial  of  the  popular  love  and  respect  for  an  honored 
leader  under  whose  baton  we  have  served  so  long  and 
pleasantly. 


MEMORIAL    OF   THE    CINCINNATI    MUSICAL 
FESTIVAL  ASSOCIATION 

"Theodore  Thomas  died  at  his  residence  in  Chicago 
on  Wednesday,  January  4,  1905,  after  a  short  illness. 
His  funeral  was  held  at  St.  James  Church  in  that  city 
on  Friday,  January  6,  and  was  attended  by  President 
Hinkle,  Directors  Rawson  and  Wiborg,  former  President 
Hobart,  and  Mr.  Glover,  representing  this  Association. 
The  Directors  have  met  to-day  for  the  purpose  of  record- 
ing on  the  minutes  of  the  Association  their  acknowledg- 
ment of  the  services  of  the  great  leader  to  the  cause  of 
music  in  Cincinnati,  and  of  expressing  their  sense  of 
personal  bereavement  at  his  death. 

"Mr.  Thomas  has  been  musical  director  of  the  festi- 
vals from  the  beginning.  He  conducted  the  first  concert 
of  the  first  festival,  on  Tuesday  evening,  May  6,  1873,  and 
every  concert  of  every  festival  thereafter  until  he  laid 
down  his  baton  after  the  memorable  performance  of  Bee- 
thoven's Missa  Solennis  and  Ninth  Symphony,  with 
which  he  brought  the  sixteenth  festival  to  a  glorious 
close  on  Saturday  night,  May  14,  1904.  What  he  accom- 
plished for  the  education  of  the  public  and  for  the  cause 
of  music  in  this  city  during  those  years  of  service  is  not 
recorded  in  any  written  annals,  and  cannot  be;  it  is  part 
of  the  history  of  Cincinnati,  and  of  the  lives  of  her  citizens, 
which  he  enriched  and  made  purer  and  better  and  happier 


APPENDIX  293 

by  inspiring  them  with  an  appreciation  of  the  highest  and 
best  forms  of  music,  and  by  revealing  to  them  the  inef- 
fable beauties  of  the  art  to  which  he  devoted  his  life 
with  noble  and  unselfish  purpose.  His  upright  character, 
his  high  ideals,  his  sound  judgment,  matured  by  years  of 
study  and  labor,  his  indefatigable  energy,  his  courage 
and  patience  in  time  of  trial,  his  catholic  spirit,  his  faith 
in  the  people,  and  his  confidence  in  the  ultimate  triumph 
of  his  appeals  to  their  intelligence,  and  of  his  efforts  to 
raise  the  standard  of  art  in  their  midst,  are  the  qualities 
of  heart  and  mind  which  have  endeared  him  to  his  asso- 
ciates, and  have  laid  the  foundation  of  his  enduring  fame 
as  a  benefactor  of  mankind. 

"He  came  to  us  when  he  was  a  young  man ;  he  gave  to 
us  a  large  part  of  his  life;  he  has  gone,  full  of  years  and 
honor.  He  fought  a  good  fight  and  kept  the  faith.  We 
deplore  the  loss  of  our  leader  and  mourn  the  death  of 
our  friend.  In  the  shadow  of  his  death  we  pledge  our- 
selves to  continue  the  work  which  he  began,  and  to  main- 
tain the  Cincinnati  Festivals  on  the  plane  of  excellence 
where  he  placed  them,  and  in  the  spirit  of  conscientious 
endeavor  and  high  artistic  purpose  with  which  he 
endowed  them." 

TRIBUTES  TO  THEODORE  THOMAS 

[The  following  are  selected  from  the  many  tributes  paid 
to  the  memory  of  Theodore  Thomas  on  account  of  their  close 
insight  into  the  character  and  results  of  his  work. — EDR.] 

FROM  "THE  NEW  YORK  TIMES" 
"It  is  hard  to  estimate  the  debt  that  this  country  owes 
to  Theodore  Thomas.    It  is  the  debt  of  a  pupil  to  a 
teacher;  or  it  is  the  debt  of  a  people  led  out  of  a  wilderness 


294  THEODORE  THOMAS 

to  the  prophet  who  has  shown  them  a  sight  of  the  promised 
land.  To  Mr.  Thomas  more  than  to  any  other  single 
force  is  due  the  present  state  of  musical  culture  in  this 
country.  To  an  amazing  persistency  in  the  face  of 
repeated  discouragement  and  piled-up  difficulties  he 
joined  the  fine  and  catholic  taste,  and  most  of  all,  the 
willingness  to  make  his  propaganda  gradually,  that  were 
precisely  the  qualities  necessary  for  his  success.  He  knew 
that  there  were  many  kinds  of  good  music;  and  that  the 
love  and  appreciation  of  the  greatest  kinds  were  best 
attained  by  a  gradual  uplift  through  the  lesser. 

"The  older  generation  of  music-lovers  learned  to 
know  their  classics  through  Mr.  Thomas's  temperament 
and  methods.  To  them  he  was  the  ideal  conductor; 
and  his  breadth,  repose,  and  clarity  of  view  gave  to  his 
conducting  artistic  qualities  that  could  never  be  inval- 
idated. Other  ideals  have  arisen  in  later  years.  Some 
accused  him  because  he  did  not  remould  his  artistic  nature 
nearer  to  their  hearts'  desire;  because  he  was  not,  and  in 
the  nature  of  things,  could  not  be  the  'modern'  conductor 
that  has  been  evolved  from  Wagner's  influence,  and  the 
movement  set  going  by  his  famous  essay.  But  in  grasp 
of  all  that  pertains  to  the  direction  of  an  orchestra,  in 
authority  over  men,  in  knowledge  of  his  own  mind  and 
purposes  and  the  way  to  get  them  realized,  and  most, 
perhaps,  of  all,  in  full  possession  of  that  subtle  art  that  is 
called  programme-making,  there  were  few  who  were  the 
superiors  of  the  great  artist  who  is  dead.  The  immediate 
loss  is  Chicago's;  but  the  whole  country,  and  New 
York  in  particular,  will  not  let  the  Western  city  mourn 
alone." 


APPENDIX  295 

FROM  "THE  NATION,"  NEW  YORK 

"The  most  remarkable  characteristics  of  Mr.  Thomas 
as  a  musician  were  his  catholicity  of  taste  and  consequent 
versatility.  No  one  ever  interpreted  the  oldest  masters 
—Bach,  Handel,  Gluck,  Haydn,  Mozart — more  impress- 
ively than  he,  or  with  a  keener  insight  into  the  antique 
spirit  of  music.  Beethoven  and  Schubert  he  worshipped, 
and  he  made  propaganda  for  them  every  week  of  his  life. 
At  the  same  time  he  was  an  enthusiastic  champion  of 
modern  music.  He  did  missionary  work  for  Wagner, 
Liszt,  and  Berlioz,  at  a  time  when  it  meant  money  out 
of  his  pocket  and  the  incurring  of  critical  censure.  And 
he  kept  his  interest  in  new  music  to  the  last  moment,  his 
latest  proteges  having  been  Elgar  and  Strauss.  In  this 
catholicity  of  taste  and  ability  to  interpret  the  old  and  the 
new  equally  well,  Theodore  Thomas  resembled  Franz 
Liszt.  He  had  chosen  for  his  Philharmonic  programme 
in  this  city,  in  March,  Beethoven's  'Eroica'  symphony, 
and  Richard  Strauss's  'Death  and  Glorification,'  thus 
exemplifying  his  liberal-mindedness.  Had  there  been 
room  he  might  well  have  added  some  work  like  Professor 
Paine's  'Island  Fantasy,'  by  way  of  calling  attention  to 
the  fact  that  he  did  more  for  American  composers  than 
any  other  conductor  has  done. 

"Theodore  Thomas  was  a  bora  commander.  As  a 
general  he  would  have  held  Port  Arthur  as  long  as  Stoessel 
held  it.  His  stubborn  determination  to  carry  out  his 
plans  and  wishes  frequently  got  him  into  trouble,  and  he 
made  many  enemies;  but  they  were  for  the  most  part 
enemies  to  be  proud  of.  He  was  not  without  jealousy, 
and  when  Anton  Seidl  came  to  America  he  looked  on 
him,  unfortunately,  as  a  rival  rather  than  as  a  helper. 


296  THEODORE  THOMAS 

But  when  he  became  more  familiar  with  Seidl's  admirable 
work  (with  the  Thomas  orchestra)  at  some  of  Mr.  Grau's 
operatic  performances  in  Chicago,  he  cordially  offered 
his  colleague  his  friendship  and  praise.  Dr.  William 
Mason,  speaking  of  the  early  days  when  he  and  the  future 
conductor  played  chamber  music  together,  says  that  Mr. 
Thomas  'rapidly  developed  a  talent  for  making  pro- 
grammes by  putting  pieces  into  the  right  order  of  sequence, 
thus  avoiding  incongruities.  He  brought  this  art  to 
perfection  in  the  arrangement  of  his  symphony  concert 
programmes.'  Here,  indeed,  lies  one  of  his  chief  dis- 
tinctions." 

FROM  "THE  OUTLOOK,"  NEW  YORK 

"...  More  than  any  other  man  Theodore 
Thomas  educated  the  public  of  New  York  to  an  apprecia- 
tion and  love  of  the  best  music.  He  made  no  concessions 
to  popular  taste;  but  he  was  so  thoroughly  the  master  of 
the  art  of  conducting,  so  profoundly  imbued  with  the 
musical  spirit,  so  firm  in  his  faith  in  the  power  of  the 
highest  music  to  appeal  to  and  satisfy  even  those  who 
were  musically  uneducated,  that  he  built  up  rapidly  a 
devoted  constituency,  and  accustomed  them  to  the  best 
interpretation  of  the  best  music. 

"It  is  to  Theodore  Thomas,  more  than  to  any  other 
man,  that  the  intelligent  appreciation  and  understanding 
of  music  which  characterize  New  York  are  due.  His 
taste  was  wonderfully  catholic.  He  held  to  the  old  with 
tenacity,  but  he  welcomed  the  new  with  hospitality.  No 
man  loved  Beethoven  more,  no  man  interpreted  Bach 
with  the  orchestra  with  greater  sympathy;  but,  on  the 
other  hand,  no  man  so  persistently,  and  finally  so  vic- 
toriously, interpreted  and  popularized  the  music  of 


APPENDIX  297 

Wagner.  The  large  number  of  men  and  women  in  New 
York  who  went  to  school  to  Mr.  Thomas  and  gained 
their  insight  into  music  from  his  baton  have  not  forgotten 
the  quiet,  persistent  enthusiasm  with  which  in  those  days 
he  made  Wagner's  music  familiar  in  New  York  City. 
"This  catholicity  Mr.  Thomas  retained  to  the  last 
day  of  his  life,  together  with  unworn  enthusiasm  and 
freshness  of  feeling;  his  latest  programmes  included  the 
oldest  and  the  newest  music.  What  he  did  in  New  York 
in  the  earlier  part  of  his  career  he  repeated  in  Chicago 
in  the  later  years;  and  to  him  more  than  to  any  other 
single  man,  as  a  result  of  his  earlier  work  in  Cincinnati, 
and  his  latest  work  in  Chicago,  is  due  the  widespread 
and  growing  enthusiasm  for  music  in  the  Central  West." 

FROM  "THE  BROOKLYN  EAGLE" 

"The  hands  are  folded  at  whose  beck  great  music 
once  filled  our  halls.  Theodore  Thomas  is  dead.  Amer- 
ica owes  more  to  this  man  for  its  musical  taste  and  knowl- 
edge than  it  can  ever  owe  to  another,  and  the  glory  and 
the  pathos  of  his  death  is  that  he  passed  in  the  hour  of 
his  best  success. 

"Brooklyn  came  to  know  him  well,  for  he  conducted 
our  Philharmonic  concerts  for  years,  and  he  had  the 
personal  friendship  of  scores  of  our  citizens.  His  concerts 
at  the  Academy,  always  decorated  for  the  occasion  with 
flowers,  palms,  and  sometimes  with  fountains,  were 
events,  for  there  was  no  better  music  in  the  world  than 
we  heard  then.  His  programmes  were  models,  his 
mastery  of  the  orchestra  was  complete.  In  private  life 
Theodore  Thomas  was  modest,  conscientious,  quiet  in 
manner,  obstinate  in  what  he  deemed  to  be  right;  in 
short,  a  good  citizen,  a  fond  husband  and  father,  a  man 


298  THEODORE  THOMAS 

of  clear  name,  and  of  the  best  ideals.  Had  it  been  possible 
to  pay  the  debt  we  owe  to  him  he  would  have  died  rich; 
but  he  died  better,  in  the  knowledge  that  he  had  enriched 
the  world.  The  placing  of  a  laurel  on  his  bier  is  but  a 
form,  yet  as  a  tribute  to  his  art  he  would  have  prized  it. 
Earthly  music  is  still  for  us,  but  for  what  he  did  to  make 
the  inheritance  sublime,  'he  sings  to-day  the  Trisagion 
in  heaven.'" 

FROM  "THE  BOSTON  TRANSCRIPT" 

"In  these  days  of  endowed  symphony  orchestras  in 
some  of  the  wealthier  cities  of  the  country,  it  is  difficult 
for  younger  generations  to  understand  the  honor  in  which 
the  name  of  Theodore  Thomas  has  been  held  by  his 
contemporaries.  Nowadays  it  is  merely  a  matter  of 
setting  aside  a  million  or  so  and  issuing  the  fiat,  and  an 
orchestra  exists.  In  Thomas's  day,  the  taste  and  desire 
for  good  music  had  to  be  built  up  in  the  first  place.  In 
New  York  there  was,  to  be  sure,  the  old  Philharmonic, 
and  in  Boston  there  was  the  old  Harvard  Musical  Asso- 
ciation, giving  symphonies  and  other  classical  music  to 
subscribers.  It  was  Theodore  Thomas's  destined  life 
work  to  create  the  broader  popular  base  for  musical 
culture,  on  which  alone  it  can  have  any  vital  relation 
to  or  influence  on  the  national  character  and  refine- 
ment. .  .  . 

"Many  were  the  devices  he  had  to  resort  to  to  obtain 
support  by  the  public,  for  our  'benevolent  feudalism' 
had  not  risen  as  yet  in  the  seventies.  His  strategetics 
included  luring  the  public  to  one  of  those  popular  resorts 
called  'gardens,'  introduced  in  New  York  and  the  West 
from  Germany.  He  also  sought  maintenance  for  ms 


APPENDIX  299 

permanent  organization  in  tours,  and  many  were  the 
leanly  recompensed  or  downright  disastrous  visits  of  the 
Thomas  Orchestra  to  Boston  —  then,  to  him,  it  is  sad  to 
recall,  'the  enemy's  country.'  Good  Mr.  John  S.  Dwight, 
as  the  champion  of  the  then  decadent  Harvard  musical 
symphonies,  and  as  the  leading  musical  critic  of  his  day, 
used  to  insist  that  'a  certain  rugged  naturalness'  in  the 
interpretation  of  symphonies  was,  after  all,  superior  in 
appeal  to  a  really  refined  appreciation  to  the  mechanical 
perfections  of  the  Thomas  men! 

"Thus  all  of  Thomas's  efforts  to  make  a  financial 
surety  of  fine  music  in  America  were,  one  after  another, 
year  by  year,  doomed  to  disappointment.  It  is  this 
pathetic  and  heroic  struggle,  during  all  of  which  it  never 
occurred  to  him  to  give  it  up,  that  accounts  for  his  being 
held  by  those  who  witnessed  it  all,  one  of  our  American 
heroes,  a  man  to  be  ever  remembered  and  looked  up  to 
as  a  public  character  and  benefactor.  Of  course,  there 
were  with  him  the  usual '  defects  of  his  qualities.'  A  born 
leader  fit  for  such  a  struggle  must  be  made  of  the  sternest 
stuff,  and  Theodore  Thomas,  though  personally  modest 
to  shyness,  was  a  dictator  in  matters  of  music,  and  a 
hard  master  with  his  players.  Nor  did  he  ever  lower  his 
crest  after  those  great  musical  foundations  of  Cincinnati 
and  Chicago  adopted  him,  and  finally  solved  the  financial 
problem  of  his  famous  orchestra.  He  has  died  in  har- 
ness, as  he  would  have  chosen,  and  with  his  place  in  art 
and  share  in  the  evolution  of  a  better  American  culture 
honorably  recognized,  and  the  great  work  of  his  planting 
in  full  bearing." 


300  THEODORE  THOMAS 

FROM  "THE  SPRINGFIELD  REPUBLICAN" 

"Theodore  Thomas,  the  greatest  of  American  or- 
chestral conductors,  one  of  the  greatest  of  American 
musicians, —  playing,  as  he  did,  on  thirty  or  fifty  or  a 
hundred  instruments  at  once  with  all  the  accumulated 
spiritual  and  mental  power  and  all  the  exquisite  physical 
skill  of  nerves  and  muscles  which  their  performers  had 
attained, —  Thomas  has  died,  just  at  the  entrance  of  his 
seventieth  year.  It  is  a  great  loss  to  music  in  the  future, 
more  especially  in  Chicago,  the  centre  of  that  culture  for 
the  West,  and  where  at  least  he  had  gained  the  great 
aim  of  his  life,  the  endowment  and  home  possession  of 
a  great  orchestra,  in  which  he  could  carry  out  all  his 
purposes  and  ideals  without  fear  of  deficits  in  the  season's 
income.  The  disappointment  is  no  longer  personal  to 
him,  it  is  true  — 'far  has  he  gone  from  wish  or  fear ' —  but 
who  shall  seize  and  wield  his  baton  hereafter  must  trouble 
Chicago  not  a  little.  Thomas  was  in  himself  Berlin 
or  Vienna,  Leipsic  or  Paris;  where  he  was  the  greatest 
orchestral  results  were  produced  —  the  greatest  and  the 
finest.  He  had  no  fellow  in  America,  not  even  in  the 
best  men  that  have  ruled  Boston's  symphony  orchestra, 
or  that  of  the  Philharmonic  Society  of  New  York.  Not 
even  Anton  Seidl  endangered  his  supremacy  in  this  line." 

FROM  "THE  PHILADELPHIA  LEDGER" 

"The  most  conspicuous  figure  in  the  modern  history 
of  music  in  America  has  passed  away  in  the  death  of 
Theodore  Thomas,  who  completed,  with  the  opening  of 
this  season,  an  active  career  of  forty  years  as  an  orchestral 
conductor  of  the  highest  authority.  It  is  not  too  much 
to  say  that  he  created,  in  this  country,  by  long  and 


APPENDIX  301 

laborious  effort,  the  popular  taste  for  orchestral  music 
that  now  finds  gratifying  expression  in  the  support  of 
great  orchestras  in  many  principal  cities.  Though 
younger  men  have  taken  up  the  work,  none  has  dis- 
puted Thomas's  leadership,  and  the  receptive  mind  and 
broad  appreciation  which  early  put  him  at  the  head  of 
the  modern  movement  in  the  United  States  were  main- 
tained to  the  very  end  of  his  strenuous  and  useful  life. 

"Though  born  in  Germany,  and  retaining  many  Ger- 
man traits,  his  whole  life,  from  childhood,  was  passed  in 
America,  and  was  devoted  to  the  service  of  the  American 
people.  His  reputation  as  a  violinist  was  earned  as  a 
boy,  and  increased  in  early  manhood,  but  it  has  been  al- 
most forgotten  in  his  larger  fame  as  a  master  of  the 
orchestra.  He  was  the  first  man  here  to  build  up  a 
complete  orchestra  upon  modern  lines,  as  a  permanent 
organization,  and  to  weld  it  into  that  absolute  unity  that 
made  it  an  instrument  obedient  to  the  conductor's  mind. 
The  work  was  so  new  in  this  country,  and  the  public 
to  be  addressed  was  at  first  so  small,  that  it  required  all 
of  Thomas's  stolid  temperament  and  uncompromising 
will,  and  the  obstacles  he  met  would  have  disheartened 
almost  any  other  man;  but  Thomas  never  wavered,  even 
in  the  face  of  repeated  defeats,  though  from  time  to  time 
compelled  to  change  his  base.  Unmoved  by  opposition 
or  by  financial  loss,  he  worked  on,  raising  his  standard 
always  higher  and  higher,  and  it  is  gratifying  to  know 
that  in  Chicago,  where  he  had  recently  made  his  home, 
he  had  at  last  placed  his  orchestra  on  a  substantial  basis, 
in  a  hall  of  its  own,  that  will  remain  as  a  monument. 

"A  not  less  durable  monument  he  has  built  for  himself 
in  the  grateful  memory  of  the  many  who  owe  to  him  no 
small  measure  of  their  own  awakening  to  the  boundless 


302  THEODORE  THOMAS 

resources  of  the  orchestra,  and  of  their  early  acquaint- 
ance with  that  musical  development  which  is  the  dis- 
tinctive manifestation  of  the  modern  aesthetic  sense.  He 
wrought  a  great  work,  in  whose  results  we  are  all  in  some 
degree  the  sharers,  and  though  he  had  come  to  his  three 
score  years  and  ten,  his  firm  and  forceful  personality  has 
left  an  impression  on  the  musical  life  of  the  country  that 
the  lapse  of  years  cannot  efface." 

FROM  "THE  CHICAGO  TRIBUNE" 

"One  of  the  few  really  great  orchestral  conductors 
of  the  world,  and  the  foremost  leader  of  musical  progress 
in  the  United  States,  has  passed  away,  after  more  than 
fifty  years  of  honorable,  dignified,  consistent,  and  un- 
commercial service.  He  was  a  musician  with  great  gifts, 
which  he  never  degraded,  and  with  which  he  never  trifled. 
Music  was  never  an  amusement  to  him,  but  the  highest 
expression  of  aesthetic  possibility,  and  his  work  for  it 
was  always  of  an  educational  character. 

"While  yet  a  youth  he  conceived  a  far-reaching  pur- 
pose, and  he  labored  for  it  until  he  reached  the  scriptural 
limit  of  age,  never  lowering  the  standard  he  set,  and  never 
doubting  that  he  should  live  to  see  its  fruition.  That 
purpose  was  to  make  the  best  and  highest  music  popular 
by  the  best  and  highest  performance  possible  of  it,  and 
by  insistent  repetition  if  necessary.  For  such  a  great 
work  he  was  magnificently  equipped.  He  brought  to 
it  profound  musical  scholarship,  exceptional  general 
culture,  catholicity  of  taste,  rare  technical  skill,  and  in- 
herent qualities  of  leadership,  which  made  his  men 
devotedly  attached  to  him,  while  they  submitted  to  his 
stern  discipline. 

"His  life  work  was  singularly  complete.    It  reached 


APPENDIX  303 

half  a  century,  and  in  that  period  is  comprised  a  successful 
growth,  with  a  future  promise  such  as  few  musical  leaders 
have  ever  achieved.  He  lived  to  see  the  accomplishment 
of  his  purpose,  and  to  receive  his  reward  in  such  a  popular 
gift  as  no  other  musician  has  received,  as  no  other  city 
has  attempted  to  make.  Grand  in  his  ideals,  unswervingly 
honest  and  honorable  in  his  career,  splendid  in  musical 
gift,  and  noble  in  manliness  of  character,  with  a  great, 
loving  heart  behind  his  austere  seeming,  he  has  gone, 
and  thousands  will  mourn  for  him.  Who  can  take  the 
place  of  Theodore  Thomas  ?  " 

FROM  "THE  CHICAGO  RECORD-HERALD" 

"Not  only  will  Theodore  Thomas  be  celebrated  as 
the  founder  of  the  Chicago  Orchestra,  and  as  the  educator 
of  at  least  two  generations  of  music- lovers,  but  he  will 
live  in  musical  history  as  one  of  the  world's  great 
conductors.  His  catholicity  and  sympathy  were  as  re- 
markable as  his  grasp  and  profundity.  Some  conductors, 
like  the  great  Seidl,  for  example,  are  admirable  in  Wagner- 
ian  and  other  essentially  modern  music.  Some  are  at 
home  only  in  the  classical  compositions.  Some  are 
purely  emotional,  others  are  distinguished  for  precision 
and  technical  perfection.  Theodore  Thomas  had  pref- 
erences, and  very  decided  ones,  but  no  limitations. 
While  it  is  well  known  that  Beethoven  was  to  him  the 
Alpha  and  Omega  of  symphonic  music,  he  never  allowed 
this  conviction  to  mar  in  the  faintest  degree  his  treatment 
of  other  composers.  He  was  as  good  in  Brahms  and 
Liszt  and  Tschaikowsky  as  he  was  in  Beethoven  and 
Mozart. 

"He  was  a  true  and  masterly  interpreter  of  music. 
He  understood  the  spirit  of  a  composition,  'the  tone  of 


304  THEODORE  THOMAS 

time'  in  it,  the  national  genius  when  it  was  in  any  manner 
colored  thereby,  the  deepest  meaning  of  the  composer. 
He  was  criticised  for  his  readings  of  Bach,  but  the  more 
one  studies  the  life,  thought,  environment  of  that  master, 
the  more  one  appreciates  the  legitimacy  of  Mr.  Thomas's 
interpretation  of  him.  Outwardly  stern  and  impassive, 
Mr.  Thomas  had  a  rare  instinct  for  the  sensuous  beauty, 
the  passion  and  emotional  significance  of  music.  He  was 
always  vital,  never  perfunctory  or  'academic'  in  his  work." 

FROM  "THE  ST.  PAUL  DISPATCH" 

"American  music  seems  dead  with  Thomas.  For  he 
made  it  all  that  it  is,  built  it  slowly,  line  on  line,  phrase 
after  phrase,  wrote  its  signature  in  the  C  major  of  sanity 
and  clarity,  experienced  all  its  accidentals,  its  capricious 
modulations,  its  movements  from  lento  to  presto,  formed 
it  into  a  mighty  chorus,  where  the  main  theme  is  being 
repeated  from  the  four  corners  of  the  land  —  but  now, 
alas,  never  to  be  written  da  capo.  What  music  in 
America  is,  and  why  it  is,  every  man  who  comprehends 
music  may  answer  — Thomas.  What  it  may  be  to-morrow 
no  man  dares  answer.  For  though  there  are  good  men 
and  capable,  there  is  not  another  Thomas. 

"Thomas  was  not  an  American.  Had  he  been  there 
would  have  been  less  American  music,  or  of  a  lesser  sort. 
He  came  hither  in  the  middle  of  the  fourth  decade,  and 
America  itself  scarce  existed  then,  so  chaotic,  so  diverse, 
were  its  endeavors,  its  Puritan  element  so  barren  of  art, 
its  Cavalier  so  tinkling.  Thomas  came  as  a  mere  boy, 
not  more  than  ten  years  old,  but  it  was  because  of  this 
youth,  and  because  music  was  great  within  him,  and 
because  he  made  his  mastery  equal  his  opportunity,  that 
he  is  the  great  American  in  music,  and  American  music 


APPENDIX  305 

is  potentially  great.  What  those  dreary  middle  years  of 
the  century  meant  to  him  we  may  learn  from  the  forth- 
coming autobiography,  but  they  were  not  more  uncertain 
than  was  American  life  itself.  Yet  this  was  touched  with 
an  idealism,  without  which  Theodore  Thomas  could 
not  have  wrought  so  masterfully.  And,  moreover,  they 
were  malleable  years.  The  orchestral  conductor,  as  he 
moved  restlessly  from  place  to  place,  seeking  his  own, 
must  often  have  doubted  his  mission,  must  nearly  always 
have  doubted  his  mission  field.  But  he  won,  not  the 
ease  in  musical  Zion  which  Weingartner  finds  in  Berlin, 
Nikisch  in  Leipzic,  or  Lamoureux  and  Colonne  in  Paris, 
but  the  consciousness  of  tremendous  accomplishment, 
which  these  men  can  never  know,  the  foundation  and 
superstructure  of  the  music  of  a  nation.  And  it  is  typical 
that  the  last  thirteen  years  of  this  sixty  years  in  America 
should  be  lived  in  Chicago,  where,  perhaps,  after  all,  the 
truest  appreciation  and  the  least  prejudice  may  be  found, 
without  which  art  cannot  be  lasting." 

FROM  "THE  CHICAGO  CHRONICLE" 

"It  is  forty  years  since  Mr.  Thomas  gave  to  Americans 
the  first  adequate  testimony  they  ever  had  of  the  possi- 
bilities of  orchestral  music.  Ten  years  earlier  some  of 
them  had  heard  the  big  orchestra  or  band  of  M.  Jullien; 
but  that  was  more  sensational  than  artistic.  Theodore 
Thomas,  foremost  of  all  men,  opened  to  Americans  as 
a  whole  their  first  appreciation  of  the  union  in  orchestra 
music  of  the  profoundest  science  with  the  utmost  refine- 
ment and  polish  in  art. 

"Thomas  antedated  all  others  in  this  regard,  though 
in  Boston  the  conditions  existed  which  later  blossomed 
in  the  Boston  orchestra,  but  Mr.  Thomas's  work  owed 


306  THEODORE  THOMAS 

nothing  to  that.  It  was  original  and  independent  in 
him  and  in  his  devotion  to  the  highest  and  purest  in  music, 
both  as  science  and  as  art,  he  never  wavered  for  a 
moment  in  all  the  long  battle  of  forty  years. 

"For  the  inspiration  of  a  like  devotion  in  others, 
and  the  appreciation  by  them  of  the  rewards  it  may  win, 
thereby  widening  and  deepening  and  elevating  the  hold 
of  music  on  the  public  love  and  taste,  Mr.  Thomas  has 
done  more  than  all  his  fellow-laborers.  They  can  hardly 
be  called  his  rivals,  because  he  never  so  regarded  them, 
but  only  as  co-laborers." 

FROM  "THE  NORTHWESTERN  CHRISTIAN  ADVOCATE," 
CHICAGO 

"Mr.  Thomas's  claim  to  public  recognition  and 
gratitude  is  many  sided.  He  was  a  reformer;  and  he 
gave  the  world  a  striking  example  of  the  spirit  and  method 
of  the  true  reformer.  He  sedulously  effaced  himself; 
he  said  little,  wrote  nothing,  and  was  the  despair  of  the 
newspaper  man.  He  accepted  the  disapproval  of  his 
audiences  with  the  same  imperturbability  that  he  accepted 
their  approval;  apparently  he  was  never  conscious  of 
anything  personal  to  himself  in  either.  He  was  a  man 
of  one  work.  He  doubtless  might  have  been  a  great 
performer,  or  a  great  composer,  or  a  great  impresario; 
he  had  it  in  him  to  achieve  greatness  in  many  ways. 
But  he  decided  to  do  one  thing,  in  its  way  the  most  impor- 
tant thing  of  all;  he  decided  to  educate  the  musical  taste 
of  the  people  of  this  country,  so  that  the  riches  of  their 
inheritance  in  the  greatest  masters  of  music  might  be- 
come accessible  to  them.  He  had  a  sound  and  worthy 
conviction  that  any  people  might  be  brought  to  appreciate 
what  was  best  in  music  if  they  had  it  properly  presented 


APPENDIX  307 

and  presented  often  enough.  It  was  simply  a  matter  of 
training.  Never  was  mother  more  patient  with  unknow- 
ing and  wilful  child  than  Mr.  Thomas  with  his  mammoth 
baby-public.  The  task  before  him  was  tremendous. 
First,  he  had  to  create  an  orchestra  and  mould  musicians 
to  his  ideals  —  not  so  easy  a  matter  as  it  seems  on  paper; 
then  he  had  to  woo  a  public  which  could  not  be  com- 
pelled. He  played  Bach;  the  people  cried  for  Strauss 
waltzes;  he  gave  them  Strauss  and  more  Bach.  He 
played  Wagner;  and  the  public,  unintelligent  and  bored, 
clamored  for  more  Strauss.  Strauss  was  conceded,  but 
Wagner  followed.  He  played  Beethoven,  and  his  public 
yawned;  he  aroused  them  with  Strauss  again,  and  fed  them 
more  Beethoven.  For  forty  years  Mr.  Thomas  went  on 
with  this  work,  never  complaining,  never  scolding,  but 
never  openly  discouraged,  and  never  yielding.  It  would  be 
too  much  to  say  that  even  now  the  average  concert  goer 
is  exuberant  over  a  programme  exclusively  'classical'; 
but  it  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  there  is  not  a  man  or 
woman,  boy  or  girl,  that  has  any  musical  taste  whatever, 
who  has  not  been  made  to  feel  that  in  these  classics 
the  heaven  of  music  lies.  For  this  temper,  so  bracing 
and  hopeful  in  itself,  so  full  of  promise  for  the  future 
of  American  music,  the  nation  is  debtor,  in  larger  degree 
than  to  any  other  one  man,  to  Mr.  Thomas." 

FROM  "THE  DIAL,"  CHICAGO 

"It  is  not  easy  to  adjust  our  minds  to  the  fact  that 
Theodore  Thomas  is  dead.  Those  who,  like  the  present 
writer,  have  heard  something  like  five  hundred  concerts 
given  under  his  leadership  during  the  past  thirty  years, 
who  owe  to  him  practically  their  whole  acquaintance 
with  orchestral  music,  must  be  simply  dazed  by  their 


3o8  THEODORE  THOMAS 

loss.  To  such,  he  has  stood  for  all  these  years  as  the 
beginning  and  the  end  of  music,  almost  as  their  sole 
means  of  access  to  its  fountain  of  inspiration.  The 
contrast  between  those  who  have  had  the  inestimable 
opportunity  of  long  continued  contact  with  his  work 
and  those  who  have  not  is  like  the  contrast  between 
persons  who  have  all  their  lives  had  the  use  of  a  com- 
prehensive collection  of  English  poetry  and  the  persons 
who  have  had  within  reach  only  some  'Library  of  Poetry 
and  Song,'  or  'Golden  Treasury'  of  excerpts.  It  is  only 
by  thus  transferring  the  case  to  its  literary  parallel  that 
it  is  possible  to  realize  what  such  a  loss  means,  or  to 
imagine  how  much  poorer  life  would  have  been  without 
his  labors  for  its  enrichment.  There  are  in  this  country 
—  there  are  in  Chicago  alone  —  many  thousands  of  men 
and  women  who  have  enjoyed  a  liberal  education  in 
music  through  his  agency,  and  who  could  not  without 
that  agency  have  had  anything  but  a  casual  and  frag- 
mentary acquaintance  with  the  art  which  for  the  past 
two  centuries  —  from  Bach  to  Brahms  —  has  contributed 
at  least  as  largely  as  any  other  art  to  the  upbuilding  of 
the  spiritual  life. 

"Mr.  Thomas  was  in  his  seventieth  year  when  he 
died,  and  sixty  of  his  years  were  spent  in  the  country  of 
his  adoption.  It  is  easily  within  bounds  to  say  that  no 
other  musician  during  those  years  has  done  so  much  as 
he  for  the  development  of  musical  taste  in  the  United 
States.  And  the  secret  of  his  achievement  —  if  we  may 
call  it  a  secret  —  is  found  in  his  steadfast  devotion  to  the 
highest  ideals  of  his  art.  His  rugged  and  uncompro- 
mising temper,  in  all  questions  directly  concerning  his  art, 
often  made  him  enemies,  but  of  a  kind  for  which  his 


APPENDIX  309 

followers  loved  him  all  the  more.  It  is  barely  ten  years 
since,  in  the  city  which  he  had  honored  by  choosing  it 
for  his  permanent  home,  he  was  made  the  victim  of  a 
vicious  and  virulent  attack,  accompanied  by  every  imagi- 
nable form  of  mean  and  malicious  insinuation,  solely 
because  he  refused  to  lower  his  standards  for  the  sake  of 
a  cheap  popularity,  or  to  prostitute  his  art  to  commercial 
considerations.  And  even  after  the  fury  of  that  outburst 
was  past,  and  those  responsible  for  it  had  been  revealed 
in  all  their  contemptible  insignificance,  there  were  still 
raised  against  him  from  time  to  time  the  voices  of  those 
who  should  have  been  better  advised,  urging  that  he  make 
concessions  to  the  ignorant  humor  of  the  public,  and 
give  them  the  music  for  which  they  clamored,  instead  of 
the  music  which  he  knew  that  they  ought  to  hear. 

"To  all  these  appeals  Mr.  Thomas  turned  a  deaf  ear, 
and  continued  in  his  imperturbable  course.  And  if  we 
accord  him  all  honor  for  this  attitude,  we  must  permit 
the  honor  to  be  shared  with  the  men  upon  whose  invita- 
tion he  had  come  to  Chicago  in  1891,  and  who  gave  him 
unfailing  support  to  the  end.  It  was  a  loyal  body  of 
public-spirited  citizens  —  fifty  at  first,  the  number  after- 
wards dwindling  to  much  less  than  that  —  who  made 
with  him  in  the  beginning  the  solemn  compact  that  only 
artistic  considerations  should  prevail  in  the  management 
of  the  enterprise,  that  the  question  of  box-office  receipts 
should  never  be  allowed  to  modify  a  standard  of  excellence 
which  art  alone  should  dictate.  How  well  that  promise 
was  kept,  and  at  how  great  a  personal  sacrifice  on  the 
part  of  those  who  kept  it,  is  a  matter  of  history." 


THEODORE  THOMAS 


FROM   THE   CHICAGO   AUDITORIUM   ASSOCIATION 

[Extract  from  resolutions  adopted  by  the  directors  of  the 
Chicago  Auditorium  Association,  on  motion  of  Ferdinand  W. 
Peck.] 

"Theodore  Thomas  was  the  great  missionary  —  in  our 
country  —  of  the  'music  of  the  brain'  —  a  music  which 
not  only  appeals  to  the  soft  emotions  of  the  human  heart, 
but  also  elevates,  refines,  ennobles,  inspires,  stirs,  and 
impassions  the  mysterious  weft  of  the  human  mind. 
With  him  music  was  an  art  and  a  science  —  art  in  its 
highest,  most  dignified  form.  He  was  the  great  music 
teacher,  not  of  a  city,  or  of  the  East,  or  of  the  West,  or  the 
South,  or  the  North;  he  was  the  great  music  teacher  of  a 
nation.  In  this  cause  he  lived  and  labored  and  suffered 
and  triumphed  like  a  true  hero.  And  to-day  not  only 
this  city,  in  which  he  closed  his  magnificent  career,  but 
this  nation  mourns  his  loss  as  deeply,  as  sincerely,  as  it 
ever  mourned  the  death  of  one  of  its  illustrious  sons. 
His  life  is  gone,  but  his  work  lives." 

FROM   PROMINENT   MUSICIANS 

"Theodore  Thomas  was  the  pioneer  of  music  in 
America.  We  younger  composers  must  always  be  espe- 
cially grateful  to  him  because  he  often  brought  out  our 
works  in  the  United  States  before  they  were  presented  here. 
His  memory  will  never  be  forgotten." 

FELIX  WEINGARTNER. 

"Not  only  America  but  we  all  owe  Theodore  Thomas 
enormous  thanks.  Without  his  indefatigable  pioneer 
work  we  musicians  of  the  Old  World  could  never  have 
had  such  success  in  the  United  States." 

ARTHUR  NIKISCH, 
Conductor  Berlin  Philharmonic  Orchestra. 


APPENDIX  311 

"I  confess  the  death  of  Theodore  Thomas  shocked 
me  in  the  highest  degree.  Art  loses  in  him  a  musician 
of  the  rarest  purity  and  strength  of  character.  I  myself 
mourn  the  deceased  great  master  as  a  faithful  friend, 
whose  memory  I  shall  always  honor.  What  Thomas 
signified  for  musical  development  in  America  is  universally 
known.  What  we  Germans  owe  him  shall  be  held  in 
everlasting  remembrance." 

RICHARD  STRAUSS. 

"America  has  lost  one  of  the  greatest  musical  leaders 
this  or  any  other  country  ever  had." 

EMIL  PAUR, 
Conductor  Pittsburg  Orchestra. 

"It  is  impossible  to  exaggerate  the  great  loss  the  death 
of  Mr.  Thomas  means  to  the  musical  world.  His  position 
was  unchallenged;  the  greatest  orchestra  conductor  in 
the  wrorld.  He  had  no  equal.  There  is  none  to  take  his 
place."  WILHELM  GERICKE, 

Conductor  Boston  Orchestra. 

"It  was  in  1855  I  met  Theodore  Thomas,  and  the 
affectionate  friendship  we  then  formed  has  continued 
through  the  half-century  that  has  elapsed.  He  was  a 
very  great  conductor,  the  greatest  we  have  ever  had  in 
America;  great  not  only  in  the  Beethoven  symphonies 
and  other  classics,  but  also  in  Liszt,  Wagner,  and  the 
extreme  moderns." 

WILLIAM  MASON. 

"To  Mr.  Thomas  is  unquestionably  due  the  greatest 
credit  for  his  consistent  and  heroic  work  in  advancing 
the  cause  of  good  music  in  this  country." 

FRANK  D.  VAN  DER  STUCKEN, 
Conductor  Cincinnati  Orchestra. 


312  THEODORE  THOMAS 

"It  is  the  death  of  a  man  who  never  swerved  from 
his  lofty  artistic  purpose,  no  matter  what  the  difficulties 
met  with  or  personal  sacrifice  demanded.  No  discour- 
agement could  make  him  falter,  or  trials  cause  him  to 
lower  the  art  standard  he  had  set  for  himself  and  his 
musicians.  He  did  more  for  musical  art  in  America  than 
any  man  ever  did  or  ever  will  accomplish.  'We  ne'er 
shall  look  upon  his  like  again.'  " 

HEINRICH  CONRIED, 
Director  Metropolitan  Opera  House  Co.,  N.  Y. 

SEATTLE,  January  5,  1905. 
MRS.  THEODORE  THOMAS  : 

The  entire  musical  world  joins  you  and  your  family  in 
deepest  sorrow  over  your  terrible  bereavement.  The  pass- 
ing away  of  your  illustrious  husband  is  an  irreparable  loss 
to  our  art,  for  scarcely  any  man  in  any  land  has  done  so 
much  for  the  musical  education  of  the  people  as  did  Theo- 
dore Thomas  in  this  great  country.  The  purity  of  his 
character,  firmness  of  his  principles,  nobility  of  his  ideals, 
together  with  the  magnitude  of  his  achievements,  will 
assure  him  everlasting  glory  in  the  history  of  artistic  cul- 
ture. Personally,  I  deplore  from  the  bottom  of  my  soul, 
the  loss  of  one  of  my  very  dearest  and  most  beloved  friends. 
To  you,  madame,  who  have  been  the  devoted  companion 
of  the  great  departed,  who  have  given  him  so  much  of  hap- 
piness, we  send  the  homage  of  our  profound  affliction  and 
mournful  sympathy. 

I.  J.  PADEREWSKI. 


APPENDIX  313 

EARLY  MUSIC  IN   CHICAGO 

Mr.  Thomas  and  his  two  orchestras  were  such  promi- 
nent factors  in  the  musical  progress  of  Chicago,  by  reason 
of  his  many  visits  to  that  city,  his  extraordinary  series  of 
summer  night  concerts,  and  his  fourteen  seasons  as  leader 
of  the  Chicago  Orchestra,  that  some  reference  to  its  mu- 
sical history  should  be  made  in  any  volume  dealing  with 
his  life.  It  was  his  home  in  his  closing  years,  the  city 
where  his  greatest  successes  were  made,  and  where  the 
ambition  of  his  life  was  gratified.  Some  of  the  events 
leading  up  to  his  first  appearance  there  in  1869,  and 
of  those  preceding  his  organization  of  the  Chicago 
Orchestra  in  1891,  should  form  part  of  a  memorial  of 
his  life. 

Julius  Dyhrenfurth,  a  German  amateur  violinist,  was 
the  father  of  the  orchestra  in  Chicago.  He  came  to  this 
country  in  1837,  and  made  some  tours  with  Joseph  Her- 
mann, a  pianist,  in  Ohio,  Pennsylvania,  and  northern 
Virginia,  but  returned  to  Europe  in  1841.  Six  years  later 
he  landed  again  in  New  York,  and  went  to  Chicago.  He 
purchased  a  farm  in  the  outskirts  of  the  city,  and  made  it 
a  kind  of  retreat  for  expatriated  Germans.  Curiously 
enough  nearly  all  of  them  were  musicians.  They  repaid 
him  in  music  for  their  subsistence,  and  at  last  he  organized 
them  into  the  nucleus  of  what  was  Chicago's  first  orchestra. 
Mr.  Dyhrenfurth  christened  it  the  "  Philharmonic  Society," 
and  announced  a  series  of  eight  concerts,  at  the  new 
Tremont  Hall,  the  programmes  to  consist  of  "orches- 
tral pieces,  choruses  combined  with  orchestra,  vocal 
and  instrumental  numbers,  etc."  The  first  concert 
was  given  October  24,  1850,  with  the  following  pro- 
gramme : 


THEODORE  THOMAS 

i. — Potpourri,  "Fille  du  Regiment"  .  .  .  Orchestra 
2. — Song,  with  vocal  quartette  accompaniment  .  Palme 
3. — Violoncello  solo  ....  Carlino  Lassen 

4. — Comic  song  and  chorus         .         .         .  Weinmann 

5. — Chicago  waltz,  for  orchestra,  composed  for  the 

occasion Lassen 

6. — Vocal  trio  .         .      Davis,  Lumbard,  and  Dunham 

7. — Medley  of  negro  airs,  arranged  by  .         Dyhrenfurth 

8. — Polka — French  song — 'cello  accompaniment  Lassen 

9. — French  grand  chorus,  with  full  orchestral  ac- 
companiment, from  "Preciosa,"  arranged  by  Weinmann 

Up  to  1851  the  Philharmonic  efforts  were  of  a  desul- 
tory nature,  and  depended  for  their  success  upon  the 
labors  of  a  single  individual.  During  the  fall  of  the  next 
year,  however,  there  was  a  more  general  effort  to  achieve 
something  of  importance,  and  in  November,  1852,  a 
Philharmonic  Society  was  organized  for  the  practice  both 
of  vocal  and  instrumental  music,  with  G.  P.  Abell  for 
conductor.  On  the  22d  of  February,  1853,  the  Legislature 
incorporated  the  Society  by  an  act  entitled  "An  Act  to 
encourage  the  Science  of  Fiddling."  With  this  undignified 
christening,  the  Society  sprang  into  complete  existence, 
with  Christopher  Plagge  for  conductor.  Carl  Bergmann 
succeeded  Plagge,  as  I  have  related  elsewhere,  but  re- 
signed after  giving  two  concerts,  and  the  Society  went  to 
pieces.  It  was  reconstructed  in  1856,  and  the  conductor- 
ship  was  assigned  to  Professor  C.  W.  Webster,  whose 
term  was  barely  longer  than  that  of  Bergmann. 

These  short-lived  organizations,  however,  were  gradu- 
ally preparing  the  way  for  a  full  grand  orchestra.  A 
very  decided  impulse  was  given  to  the  good  work  by  the 
concerts  of  the  famous  Germania  Orchestra  in  June, 
1853.  At  one  of  their  concerts,  a  symphony  (Beethoven's 


APPENDIX  315 

Second)  was  given  entire  for  the  first  time  in  Chicago, 
and,  of  course,  was  not  appreciated,  for  the  symphonic 
days  were  yet  afar  off.  Nevertheless,  the  Germania 
Orchestra  did  a  great  work  in  making  the  people  ac- 
quainted with  orchestral  music,  and  the  possibilities  of  a 
full  orchestra.  Gradually  the  material  shaped  itself  for 
a  local  orchestra.  In  1854,  the  Light  Guard  Band,  and 
in  1856,  the  Great  Western  Band,  were  organized  under 
Messrs.  Vaas  and  Burkhart.  All  that  was  needed  was 
the  leader  to  organize  this  material,  and  drill  and  discipline 
it.  The  leader  soon  appeared.  The  Germania  Orches- 
tra disbanded  shortly  after  its  season  in  Chicago,  and  its 
members  were  widely  scattered.  Among  those  who  came 
to  Chicago  was  Henry  Ahner,  the  cornet  player.  He  at 
once  availed  himself  of  the  material  which  was  offered 
him  in  the  organizations  of  the  Light  Guard  and  Great 
Western  Bands,  and  carefully  developed  it  into  an  orches- 
tra of  about  thirty  pieces.  On  the  2gth  of  November, 
1856,  he  commenced  a  series  of  Saturday  afternoon  con- 
certs at  Metropolitan  Hall,  five  in  number,  assisted  by 
Henry  Perabeau,  the  pianist,  and  Louis  Dochez  (De 
Passio),  the  barytone,  but  the  season  was  a  financial 
failure.  Nothing  daunted,  he  at  once  made  his  arrange- 
ments for  a  second  series  of  five  concerts,  which  com- 
menced January  24,  1857.  The  programmes  were  im- 
proved in  character,  and  for  the  first  time  concert  goers 
heard  one  of  the  overtures  to  "Fidelio,"  the  "Midsummer 
Night's  Dream"  music  of  Mendelssohn,  a  movement 
from  Mozart's  D  major  symphony,  and  arias  from  the 
"Magic  Flute"  and  "Der  Freischiitz."  The  second 
series,  however,  proved  to  be  a  financial  failure,  like  the 
first.  He  inaugurated  a  third  series,  March  6,  with  a 
musical  festival,  in  which  his  orchestra  was  increased  to 


316  THEODORE  THOMAS 

sixty  pieces,  for  the  performance  of  Beethoven's  First 
Symphony.  Like  the  performance  of  the  Second  Sym- 
phony, however,  three  years  before,  it  was  not  appreciated. 
This  series  ended  like  the  other  two,  in  failure.  He 
commenced  his  fourth  series  April  4,  but  it  was  the  same 
old  story.  On  the  yth  of  November,  1857,  he  began  a 
fifth  series  of  afternoon  concerts,  which  closed  December 
5  with  the  same  melancholy  result.  He  gave  five  concerts 
of  the  sixth  series,  the  last  one  January  6,  1858,  and  they 
left  him  penniless  and  almost  friendless. 

Mr.  Ahner's  plan  of  Saturday  afternoon  concerts  was 
not  allowed  to  drop.  It  was  resumed  on  the  i8th  of 
February  of  the  same  year  by  Julius  linger,  who  also 
had  been  a  member  of  the  Germania  Orchestra  —  a  man 
of  coarser,  harder  type,  whom  no  amount  of  failure  could 
ever  crush.  His  first  series  of  concerts  was  five  in  num- 
ber, closing  March  26.  The  first  blow  which  he  received 
came  from  an  orchestra  brought  here  by  Ullmann  in 
October,  1856,  to  accompany  the  dtbut  of  Carl  Formes, 
which  included  Theodore  Thomas  and  Mosenthal  (first 
violins),  Carl  Bergmann  ('cello),  Herzog  (contra-bass), 
Meyer  (oboe),  Schmitz  (French  horn),  Lacroix  (trumpet), 
and  Letsch  (trombone),  with  Carl  Anschiitz  for  leader. 
Shortly  afterwards  came  the  first  Italian  opera  troupe, 
with  Parodi,  Colson,  Wilhorst,  Amalia  Patti,  Brignoli, 
Amodio  (the  elder),  and  Junca;  in  the  splendors  of  that 
season  Unger  went  out  of  sight  and  disappeared,  no  one 
knew  where,  leaving  behind  him  nothing  but  some  un- 
happy creditors. 

But  all  this  time  events  were  shaping  themselves  for  a 
revival  of  the  Philharmonic  interest.  On  the  i8th,  igih, 
and  20th  of  June,  1857,  the  Northwestern  Sangerbund 
held  its  annual  festival,  and  Hans  Balatka,  of  Milwaukee, 


APPENDIX  317 

came  to  lead  its  concerts.  Three  years  later  he  came 
to  Chicago  to  reside.  On  the  Qth  of  October,  1860, 
Messrs.  E.  I.  Tinkham,  Edward  Stickney,  U.  H.  Crosby, 
Samuel  Johnston,  J.  V.  LeMoyne,  and  a  few  others,  met 
and  organized  the  new  Philharmonic  Society.  They 
called  Mr.  Balatka  to  the  conductorship,  and  he  accepted. 
The  first  concert  was  given  at  Bryan's  Hall,  November  19, 
1860,  with  the  following  programme: 

i. — Symphony,  No.  2,  D  major,  op.  36  .  .  .  Beethoven 
2. — Quintet  and  chorus  from  "Martha"  .  .  Flotow 
3. — Overture  to  "Merry  Wives  of  Windsor"  .  .  Nicolai 
4. — Sextet  from  "Lucia"  .....  Donizetti 
5. — Solo  for  violin  (fantaisie  dedicated  to  Paganini)  .  De  Be"riot 

Mr.  Emil  Weinberg. 
6. — Chorus  from  "Tannhauser"     ....     Wagner 

The  existence  of  a  Wagner  cult  in  Chicago,  even  at 
that  early  day,  is  shown  by  the  following  note  on  the 
programme : 

"N.  B. — In  order  that  those  who  desire  to  listen  to  the  last 
piece  on  the  programme  may  not  be  disturbed  by  those  who 
prefer  to  leave  at  that  time,  an  intermission  of  a  few  minutes 
will  be  made  previous  to  the  last  chorus,  after  which  those  pres- 
ent are  politely  requested  to  remain  in  their  seats  until  the  end 
of  the  performance." 

I  remember  that  scarcely  a  person  left  the  hall. 

Before  many  of  these  concerts  had  been  given  they 
became  the  rage.  So  immense  were  the  crowds,  that 
people  often  gathered  in  the  entrance  of  the  hall  an  hour 
before  the  doors  opened,  in  order  to  secure  seats.  Not  even 
the  opera  attracted  such  brilliant  and  fashionable  audiences 
and  Balatka  soon  found  himself  famous,  and  the  musical 
lion  of  the  city.  The  concerts,  as  I  have  said,  commenced 


318  THEODORE  THOMAS 

November  19,  1860,  and  closed  April  3,  1868,  at  which 
time  the  society  died  insolvent,  having  given  during  the 
eight  years  fifty  concerts.  It  accomplished  an  important 
work  in  the  education  of  the  people  and  in  preparing  them 
for  the  new  leader  soon  to  come,  who  was  to  make  Chicago 
a  musical  center.  Mr.  Balatka  gave  a  few  concerts  in 
1869,  and  then  abandoned  the  field,  the  Thomas  Orches- 
tra having  arrived  in  the  same  year.  In  1888,  after  the 
disbandment  of  the  Thomas  Orchestra,  the  Chicago 
Symphony  Society  was  organized,  with  Louis  Wahl  as 
President  and  Mr.  Balatka,  conductor.  An  orchestra 
of  sixty  members  was  secured,  and  an  excellent  series  of 
programmes  was  prepared,  but  the  scheme  failed  of 
success,  and  soon  was  abandoned.  To  these  three  men, 
however,  Ahner,  Unger,  and  Balatka,  is  due  the  credit 
of  preparing  the  way  for  the  greater  skill  and  higher 
interpretative  ability  of  Mr.  Thomas  and  the  greater 
perfection  of  his  instrumental  force.  They  at  least 
introduced  the  higher  music  to  Chicago,  and  one  of  them, 
Balatka,  acquainted  his  audiences  with  every  one  of  the 
Beethoven  symphonies,  as  well  as  with  many  of  Mozart's, 
Haydn's,  Mendelssohn's,  and  others. 

There  was  still  another  organization  which  did  a  great 
work  for  good  music,  even  before  the  Philharmonic 
Society  began  its  successful  career.  It  was  a  quartette  — 
Paul  Becker,  pianist;  Henry  de  Clerque,  violinist;  A. 
Buderbach,  second  violinist,  and  A.  Melms,  violoncellist, 
which  gave  two  series  of  chamber  concerts  in  the  Briggs 
House  in  1 860-61.  Here  is  one  of  the  earliest  pro- 
grammes: 


APPENDIX  319 

i. — Quintet,  op.  44,  in  E  flat  major  .         .      Schumann 

Becker,  DeClerque,  Mullet,  Grote  and  Melms. 

2. — "Wanderer's  Night  Song"  .         .  Mendelssohn 

Gentlemen  of  the  Mendelssohn  Society.1 

3. — "Fantaisie  Caprice" Vieuxtemps 

Mr.  De  Clerque. 
4.— "Oh!    Mighty  Magic,"  from  "The  Pardon  of 

Ploermel" Meyerbeer 

Mr.  De  Passio. 

5. — Quartet,  op.  18,  No.  4,  C  minor  .         .      Beethoven 

De  Clerque,  Muller,  Grote,  and  Melms. 

Such  programmes  as  these,  be  it  remembered,  were 
played  in  Chicago  only  five  years  after  the  famous  Mason- 
Thomas  concerts  had  been  started  in  New  York.  They 
included  such  numbers  as  Beethoven's  quartet,  op.  16, 
sonata  for  piano  and  'cello,  op.  7,  quartet,  op.  18,  No.  5, 
A  major,  sonata  for  piano  and  'cello,  op.  17,  trio,  op.  97, 
quartet,  No.  4,  C  minor,  trio,  op.  70,  No.  i,  D  minor; 
scherzo  from  Brahms's  trio,  op<  8;  Mendelssohn's  trio, 
op.  49,  D  minor;  Schumann's  quintet,  op.  44,  E  flat  major, 
and  Mayseder's  "Variations  Concertantes,"  for  piano,  vio- 
lin, alto,  and  'cello.  The  audiences  were  not  large,  but 
there  were  those  among  them  who  were  destined  to  be  of 
great  service  to  Mr.  Thomas  ten  years  later.  The  players 
are  now  mostly  forgotten,  but  they  were  earnest,  honest 
musicians  with  high  standards,  and  were  making  the  same 
fight  at  the  same  time  for  good  music  in  the  West  that  the 
Mason-Thomas  combination  was  making  in  the  East. 

A  year  after  this  time  (1860),  Mr.  Thomas  severed 
his  connection  with  the  opera  and  began  the  establishment 
of  his  own  orchestra,  and  a  year  or  two  later  he  announced 

1  The  Mendelssohn  Society,  a  mixed  chorus,  was  led  by  Mr. 
A.  W.  Dohn. 


320  THEODORE  THOMAS 

his  first  series  of  Symphony  Soirees  at  Irving  Hall.  Nine 
years  later  he  came  to  Chicago  under  circumstances  and 
with  results  already  described.  From  1869  until  1891, 
when  Chicago  secured  the  services  of  Mr.  Thomas  and 
induced  him  to  leave  New  York,  the  city  was  literally 
without  an  orchestra  of  its  own  that  could  be  designated 
as  the  Chicago  Orchestra. 

To  complete  the  story  of  musical  effort  and  progress  in 
Chicago  with  which  Mr.  Thomas  was  largely  concerned, 
for  his  influence  reached  out  hi  all  directions,  some  reference 
should  be  made  to  vocal  music  and  musical  societies.  Of  the 
latter,  those  which  exerted  the  widest  influence  during  the 
ante-fire  period  were  the  Musical  Union,  the  Oratorio  Society, 
the  Mendelssohn  Society,  and  the  Germania  Mannerchor. 

The  Chicago  Musical  Union  was  organized  January 
31,  1857,  with  Mr.  C.  M.  Cady  as  conductor,  and  for 
many  years  it  held  a  very  important  position  among  the 
musical  institutions  of  the  city.  Its  first  concert  was 
given  on  the  yth  of  the  following  April.  As  a  matter  of 
curosity  I  append  the  programme: 

i. — Overture  to  "Semiramis,"  by  ....  Orchestra 
2.— "The  Lord  is  Great,"  by  ....  Society 
3.— "Oh !  Steal  not  the  Ray"  (tenor  solo),  by  .  A.  B.  Tobey 
4. — "Prayer,"  from  "Moses  in  Egypt,"  by  Mrs.  C.  Blakely 

Fanny  S.  Collins,  A.  Leonard,  and  J.  Q.  Thompson. 

5. — Cornet  solo,  by Henry  Ahner 

6. — Solo  and  Chorus,  "Marseillaise,"  by  J.  Q.  Thompson 

and  Society. 

7. — Chorus,  "Crowned  with  the  Tempest,"  by  .  .  Society 
8.— "The  Skylark,"  by  ...  Mrs.  C.  Blakely 
9. — Duo  from  "Norma,"  for  piano,  by  Franz  and  Louis  Staab 
10. — Glee,  "O,  Give  Me  Music,"  by  the  Misses  Kate  and 

Mary  Jones  and  Messrs.    Leonard  and  Lumbard. 
ii. — Chorus  from  "Mozart's  Twelfth  Mass,"  by  the  Society 


APPENDIX  321 

The  Society  disbanded  in  1865 ;  during  the  eight  years 
of  its  existence  it  did  a  great  work  for  music,  especially 
in  the  introduction  of  oratorios. 

In  December,  1858,  one  ot  the  best  societies  ever 
established  in  Chicago  was  organized  under  the  leader- 
ship of  Mr.  A.  W.  Dohn,  with  Mr.  Harry  Johnson,  Presi- 
dent. It  was  started  originally  as  a  male  chorus,  but 
eventually  ladies  were  admitted  to  membership.  For  a 
time  it  gave  no  public  concerts,  but  devoted  itself  to  hard 
and  faithful  study  of  music  under  its  excellent  leader. 
Its  first  public  appearance  was  made  at  the  third  concert 
given  by  the  Laborde-Formes  troupe,  March  26,  1859. 
It  at  once  made  a  reputation,  especially  among  musicians 
and  musical  connoisseurs,  which  it  diligently  preserved 
many  years,  by  never  appearing  in  public  until  it  had 
something  to  sing,  and  until  it  was  ready  to  do  that  some- 
thing well.  Its  subsequent  public  performances  were 
as  follows:  March  23,  1860,  Mendelssohn's  "The  Wan- 
derer's Night  Song,"  at  one  of  the  memorable  Briggs 
House  classical  concerts;  April  30,  1860,  dedicated 
Kingsbury  Hall  (afterwards  Wood's  Museum),  with  the 
performance  of  Sir  Sterndale  Bennett's  "May  Queen" 
and  Titl's  "  Consecration  of  Solomon's  Temple  " ;  Mendel- 
ssohn's "Walpurgis  Night,"  at  the  Sherman  House  in  the 
spring  of  1862.  The  Society  also  sang  at  the  funeral 
of  -one  of  its  members,  Mr.  Holt;  and  the  last  time  it 
appeared  in  public  was  at  the  funeral  of  President 
Lincoln,  when  it  sang  some  chorals  from  Mendelssohn's 
"St.  Paul" 

The  Chicago  Oratorio  Society  was  organized  early  in 
1869.  Mr.  George  L.  Dunlap  was  the  first  President; 
E.  I.  Tinkham,  Vice-president;  Wm.  Sprague,  Treasurer, 
and  Hans  Balatka,  conductor.  It  gave  its  first  perform- 


322  THEODORE  THOMAS 

ance  May  28,  1869,  upon  which  occasion  the  "Creation" 
was  given  with  the  following  cast: 

Gabriel  and  Eve          .         .         .         Mme.  Parepa-Rosa 

Uriel Mr.  Nordblom 

Raphael  and  Adam      ....    Mr.  Rudolphsen 

In  the  great  fire  it  lost  all  its  property.  The  Handel 
and  Haydn  Society,  of  Boston,  donated  it  six  hundred 
volumes  of  music,  and  these  were  again  lost  by  fire,  and 
the  Society  not  long  afterwards  gave  up  its  work.  Ora- 
torio was  never  greatly  valued  in  Chicago. 

The  history  of  the  German  musical  societies  of  Chi- 
cago is  an  interesting  one.  The  first  in  Chicago  was  the 
Mannergesang-Verein,  which  was  organized  in  1852,  with 
Mr.  Charles  Sonne,  as  President,  and  Mr.  Emil  Rein, 
conductor.  In  1855  a  split  occurred  in  the  Society,  and 
a  number  of  the  members  seceded,  and  organized  the 
Freie  Sangerbund,  under  the  leadership  of  Henry  Ahner. 
Mr.  Unger  succeeded  Mr.  Rein  as  the  conductor  of  the 
Mannergesang-Verein,  but  the  secession  was  fatal  to  it, 
and  it  expired  in  1859. 

The  Germania  Mannerchor  was  organized  in  1865 
by  Mr.  Otto  Lob,  who  called  together  a  male  chorus  for 
the  purpose  of  musical  participation  in  the  funeral  ob- 
sequies of  President  Lincoln.  Out  of  this  temporary 
organization  was  born,  April  28,  1865,  the  Germania 
Mannerchor.  Mr.  Henry  Claussennius,  the  Prussian 
Consul,  was  elected  President,  and  Mr.  Lob,  conductor. 
For  a  time  matters  went  on  smoothly  and  prosperously, 
but  at  last  the  Meerstille  was  ruffled  by  a  very  stirring 
breeze.  In  February,  1866,  the  name  of  Hans  Balatka 
was  proposed  for  membership,  and  by  a  unanimous  vote 
of  the  Society  he  was  made  an  honorary  member.  At  a 


APPENDIX  323 

subsequent  meeting.  Mr.  Lob  insisted  that  the  resolution 
by  which  Mr.  Balatka  had  been  made  an  honorary  mem- 
ber should  be  cancelled,  and  threatened  to  resign.  Furious 
discussions  ensued  at  subsequent  meetings,  until  April  of 
the  same  year,  when  a  majority  of  the  members,  eighteen 
in  number,  withdrew  and  organized  the  Concordia 
Mannerchor,  Mr.  F.  A.  Hoffman,  President,  and  Mr. 
Lob,  conductor.  The  Germania  Mannerchor  was  then 
reorganized,  with  Mr.  Claussennius  for  President,  and 
Mr.  Balatka  for  conductor. 

The  rivalry  between  these  societies  was  musically  prof- 
itable to  the  public.  The  Germania  Mannerchor  gave 
a  remarkable  performance  of  "Der  Freischtitz,"  in  which 
Mrs.  Clara  Huck  and  Messrs.  Koch  and  Schultze  took 
the  leading  parts.  Its  success  stimulated  the  Concordia 
Mannerchor  to  give  the  "Magic  Flute,"  Mrs.  Huck, 
Clara  Lang,  Mrs.  Goldsticker,  and  Messrs.  Foltz,  Bischoff, 
and  Hofmann  being  cast  in  the  leading  parts.  The  Ger- 
mania, not  to  be  outdone,  performed  "Stradella,"  with 
an  ensemble,  especially  in  the  carnival  scene,  surpassing 
anything  ever  presented  by  the  professional  troupes. 
Internal  troubles,  however,  soon  arose  in  the  Germania, 
eventually  leading  to  Mr.  Balatka's  resignation.  In 
July,  1871,  the  Chicago  Liederkranz  was  organized  with 
Mr.  Edmund  Jussen  as  President;  Arno  Voss,  Vice- 
president,  and  Mr.  Balatka,  conductor,  but  its  existence 
was  brief.  One  of  the  results  of  the  great  fire  of  that 
year,  was  the  union  of  the  Germania  and  Concordia 
Mannerchors  in  a  large  and  flourishing  society. 

In  1872  the  Apollo  Musical  Club  was  organized  as  a 
Mannerchor,  with  the  following  officers:  President, 
George  P.  Upton;  Vice-president,  William  Sprague; 
Secretary,  C.  C.  Curtiss;  Treasurer,  Frank  Bowen; 


324  THEODORE  THOMAS 

Librarian,  W.  C.  Coffin;  conductor,  A.  W.  Dohn.  Its 
first  season  was  a  great  popular  success.  In  1873  tne 
Club  gave  a  series  of  concerts  in  connection  with  the 
Thomas  orchestra,  and  in  1874  it  had  the  honor  of  pro- 
ducing Schumann's  "Paradise  and  the  Peri"  for  the  first 
time  in  this  country,  with  the  accompaniment  of  the 
orchestra.  At  the  close  of  1874  Mr.  Dohn  resigned,  and 
Carl  Bergstein  became  conductor.  He  held  the  position 
for  a  short  time  only,  and  was  succeeded  by  Mr.  William 
L.  Tomlins,  who  organized  a  mixed  chorus,  and  led  the 
Club  with  success  for  many  years.  It  is  still  prospering 
under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Harrison  Wild,  and  is  the 
inseparable  associate  of  the  Chicago  Orchestra.  It  has 
done  splendid  service  for  choral  music  in  Chicago,  and  is 
now  virtually  master  of  the  field.  Its  only  competitor, 
the  Beethoven  Society,  retired  some  years  ago,  after 
eleven  years  of  excellent  work  under  the  leadership  of 
Mr.  Carl  Wolfsohn,  almost  the  only  one  now  left  of  Mr. 
Thomas's  early  associates  in  music.  Mr.  Wolfsohn, 
through  his  labors  with  this  Society  and  his  memorable 
recitals  and  chamber  concerts,  has  exerted  a  power  in 
music  that  can  hardly  be  overestimated.  He  was  a 
loyal  friend  to  Mr.  Thomas  from  the  days  when,  as  young 
men,  they  were  associated  in  chamber  concerts  in  Phila- 
delphia, and  he  was  one  of  the  first  to  come  forward  with 
assistance  in  assuring  the  finances  of  the  orchestra  in 
1891.  In  all  of  the  choral  work  in  Chicago  since  1869,  Mr. 
Thomas's  influence  has  been  felt,  both  in  the  style  of 
performance  and  the  standard  of  music. 

EDITOR. 


INDEX 


AMERICAN  Opera  Company,  95, 
96,  176,  185,  186,  187,  188, 
189,  190,  191,  192,  193,  261. 

Anschutz,  C.  45,  47,  124,  316. 

Arditi,  L,  31,  32. 

BACH,  J.  S.,  40,  55>  64,  71.  72,  91. 
J34»  139.  I47>  l6l>  J64>  166, 
173,  181,  203,  205,  210,  211, 
212,  229,  234,  235,  275,  282, 
295,  296,  304,  307,  308. 

Badiali,  A.,  31,  32. 

Balatka,  H.,  35,  36,  316,  317,  318, 
319,  322,  323,  324. 

Barnum,  P.  T.,  58. 

Beethoven,  L.  von,  21,  36,  38,  40, 
42,  48,  52.  57.  64,  68,  79,  90, 
91,  119,  132,  133,  139,  141, 143, 

145.  146,  150,  153,  155,  161, 
162,  164,   165,   166,   167,   170, 
171,   173,   180,   181,   196,  203, 

207,  2O8,  212,  213,  214,    221, 
226,  229,  230,  231,  233,    234, 
235»  237,  242,  243,  244,    246, 
256,  275,  279,  282,  284,    286, 
292,  295,  296,  303,  307,    311, 

3*4.  3l6>  3J7>  3l8>  3J9- 
Bergmann,  C.,  34,  3S»  36>  37.  38, 

39,  40,  41,  42,  43,  44,  48.  74, 

125,   126,   149,   151,  203,  226, 

234,  282,  314,  316. 
Bergner,  F.,  41,  42,  43,  44,  203, 

282. 
Berlioz,  H.,  48,  52,  68,  72,  79,  91, 

134,  i39»  MI,  152,  iS4,  161, 

166,  173,  206,  207,  230,  251, 

295- 
Boston  Orchestra,  104,  105,  236, 

300,  305,  311. 
Brahms,  J.,  38,  39,  40,  42,  72,  139, 

146,  152,   155,   161,   174,   180, 

208,  230,  275,  303,  308,  319. 
Bruckner,  A.,  155,  228,  229,  242. 
Buck,  Dudley,  68,  91. 


Bulow,  H.  von,  44,  232,  240. 
Bull,  Ole,  48. 

CAMPANINI,  I.,  91,  156,  173,  188, 

189,  285. 
Candidus,  W.,  91,  156,  173,  188, 

189,  285. 

Gary,  A.  L.,  79,  86,  91,  173,  285. 
Centennial,  Philadelphia,  66,  193, 

261. 

Chicago  Concerts,  57,  63,  65,  313. 
Chicago  Fire,  59,  166. 
Chicago  Festivals,  91,  92,  173. 
Chicago  Orchestra,  85,  100,  101, 

102,  106,  107,  108,  no,  119, 

132,  174,  175,  176,  213,  214, 

218,  229,  238,  240,  261,  278, 

287,  290,  291,  301,  303,  313, 

320,  324. 
Chicago  Summer  Night  Concerts, 

68,  93,  164,  170,  171,  172,  216. 
Chicago  Auditorium,  102,  103. 
Cincinnati  Festivals,   77,   78,   79, 

80,  81,  82,  83,  84,  85,  91,  92, 

173,     178,     222,    248,    26l,    292, 

293- 

Cincinnati  College  of  Music,  80, 
146,  176,  177,  178,  179,  180, 
181,  182,  183,  184,  185,  261. 

Columbia  Exposition  Bureau  of 
Music,  176,  193,  194,  195,  196, 
197,  198,  199,  200,  261. 

DVORAK,  A.,  147. 155,  275. 

ECKERT,  K.,  29,  30,  33,  36. 
Eisfeld,  T.,  31,  34,  35,  36,  37,  39, 

51,  126,  144,  149,  260. 
Ernst,  H.  W.,  24,  48,  207. 

FELSENGARTEN,  112,  213,  224,  245, 

254,  256,  257,  258. 
Festival,  New  York,  88,  261,  284. 
Formes,  C.,  48,  124,  205,  316,  321. 


325 


326 


INDEX 


GARDEN  Concerts,  Belvedere  Lion 

Park,  52. 
Garden   Concerts,   Central  Park, 

55".  57.  61,  63,  64,  66,  117,  130, 

131,  134,  135,  222,  261,  272, 

282. 
Garden  Concerts,  Gilmore's,  41, 

77- 
Garden  Concerts,  Terrace,  52,  53, 

54,  13°,  r34,  135,  260. 
Germania  Society,  25,  35. 
Glover,  E.  W.,  84. 
Gungl,  J.,  25,  131. 

HANDEL,  G.,  64,  68,  71  j  79,  89, 

91,   164,    166,   173,   196,   222, 

282,  286,  295. 

Handel  and  Haydn  Society,  64, 322. 
Haydn,  J.,  48,  72,  139,  155,  180, 

181,  196,  208,  230,  282,  295, 

318. 

Henschel,  G.,  91,  156,  181. 
Higginson,  H.  L.,  105. 
Hill,  U.  C.,  21,  148. 

JUCH,  EMMA,  156,  188. 
Jullien,  L.  A.,  26,  27,  305. 

KLAUSER,  K.,  43,  44. 

LAGRANGE,  A.  DE,  31,  121. 

Lehmann,  L.,  86,  156. 

Lind,  J.,  24,  28,  31,  280,  281. 

Liszt,  F.,  39,  68,  72,  79,  91,  139, 
143,  146,  147,  150,  152,  155, 
160,  162,  164,  165,  166,  167, 
171,  228,  230,  232,  276,  280, 
295,  3"- 

MAPLESON,  J.  H.,  129. 

Maretzek,  M.,  48,  124. 

Mason,  W.,  28,  39,  40,  44,  124, 
125,  126,  145,  203,  205,  207, 
215,  226,  248,  279,  282,  296, 

3*9- 
Mateka,  G.,  38,  41,  42,  44,  53, 

282. 
Materna,  A.,  91,  93,  94,  173,  235, 

240,  283,  285 
Mees,  A.,  83. 
Mendelssohn,  F.,  27,  29,  55,  64, 

119,  134,  139,  153,  155,  162, 

164,  170,   196,  203,  207,  210, 

315,  32°,  321- 


Meyerhofer,  W.,  45. 
Mirati,  A.,  31. 
Mollenhauers,  The,  27. 
Mosenthal,  J.,  38,  41,  42,  44,  46, 

282,  317. 
Mozart,  W.,  52,  68,  90,  91,  139, 

147,   155,   166,   173,   181,   188, 

2O7,    2O8,     212,     214,     221,    226, 
229,     230,     234,     282,     284,     295, 

3°3»  3i5,  3i8. 

NILSSON,  C.,  94,  129. 
Noll,  J.,  31,  35. 

PAINE,  J.  K.,  68,  196. 

Pappenheim,  E.,  79. 

Patti,  A.,  25,  28,  29,  48,  317. 

Philharmonic  Society,  Brooklyn, 
37»  Si,  53,  55,  65,  86,  87,  89, 
99,  127,  140,  144,  145,  146, 
147,  148,  260,  268,  297. 

Philharmonic  Society,  Chicago,  35, 
313,  314,  317,  318. 

Philharmonic  Society,  New  York, 
21,  34,  36»  42,  43,  5°,  73,  74, 
75,  76>  77,  86>  87>  88»  92»  99, 
126,  138,  139,  140,  148,  149, 
150,  151,  152,  153,  154,  162, 
225,  260,  261,  268,  273,  282, 
298,  300. 

REMMERTZ,  F.,  79,  91,  93,  94,  156, 

17°,  i73- 

Rubinstein,  A.,  38,  40,  44,  63,  64, 
72,  134,  139,  152,  155,  166, 
174,  190,  212,  213,  230,  239, 
280. 

SCARIA,  E.,  93,  94,  156,  235. 

Scharfenberg,  W.,  34. 

Schubert,  F.,  38,  40,  64,  68,  72, 
91,  132,  139,  145,  146,  155, 
161,  162,  166,  170,  171,  181, 
206,  207,  214,  230,  280,  284, 

295- 

Schumann,  R.,  37,  38,  40,  48,  72, 
118,  132,  139,  150,  153,  155, 
161,  162,  165,  166,  167,  173, 
180,  181,  208,  214,  226,  230, 
280,  319,  320,  324. 

Schwillinger,  R.,  45. 

Seidl,  A.,  150,  295,  206. 

Sembrich,  M.,  86. 

Sontag,  H.,  24,  28,  29,  31. 


INDEX 


327 


Strauss,  J.,  55,  68,  118,  131,  161, 

171,  219,  279,  307. 
Strauss,  R.,   155,   212,  228,    229, 

235,  240,  241,  295,  311. 
Symphony   Concerts,  New  York, 

62,  63,  65,  74,  75,  76. 
Symphony  Soirees,  New  York,  51, 

55.  56,  57.  61,  320. 

THALBERG,  S.,  45,  48. 
Timm,  H.  C.,  34,  148,  149. 
Tschaikowsky,    P.    I.,    155,    156, 
162,  228,  230,  303. 

Ullmann,  C.,  45,  47,  48,  121,  124, 
316. 

Vieuxtemps,  H.,  24,  45,  72,  129, 
207,  319. 


WAGNER,  R.,  55,  62,  63,  64,  68, 
72,  79,  91,  93,  94,  131,  141, 
146,  155,  161,  162,  164,  166, 
167,  170,  171,  188,  189,  212, 
214,  226,  229,  234,  235,  236, 
239,  240,  251,  261,  275,  279, 
283,  284,  286,  294,  297,  307, 
311,  317,  318. 

Whitney,  M.  W.,  79,  86,  91,  166, 
167,  173,  188,  189. 

Wieniawski,  H.,  63,  64,  167. 

Winkelmann,  A.,  93,  94,  235. 

YSAYE,  E.,  202. 

ZEISLER,  T.  B.,  13,  156. 

Zerrahn,  C.,  64. 

Ziohn,  B.,  228,  229,  241,  242. 


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